Guns, Diamonds, and Lights: The Playlist
by Azulixa
Summary: Anya Oyen, danger-loving off-Broadway actress, has fallen asleep before her closing performance. Waking up in the lair of the phantom, Anya, like any New Yorker, decides to have as much fun as possible. But she will get much more than she bargained for..."One ought to hold on to one's heart; for if one lets it go, one soon loses control of the head too." ― Friedrich Nietzsche
1. The Beauty Underneath-So Cold

**A/N: Hey! This is my first phanfic. It was actually thought of by reading several fics like these. I'm going to try my hardest not to make Anya a Sue. Lyrics shall be changed, references shall be made. This story will be told in playlist form, meaning each chapter name is a song or two. I OWN NOTHING BUT ANYA! Enjoy.**

"Huh-what?" I ask, shooting up. Instead seeing of the faces of my castmates, I'm in some kind of...intricately carved underground tunnel. With mist all around, and a river running through it. It all seems familiar...but from where?The only places I've ever been underground was one unfortunate trip in the New York sewers 3 years ago that I swore to never speak of again and school field trips. I've read stories about people traveling to different worlds/dimensions simply because they were thinking about them. Maybe...

_Just follow the river, _I think as I start walking along after several stupid guesses (yes, because in _Moulin Rouge, _Christian almost lost the script when the Argentine flushed it down the toilet. I have a weird mind). It's too quiet. Much too quiet. I start to wonder if I will be left to die down here, in what I can only assume is the New York sewers, yet _AGAIN. _Except...I smell the air. It doesn't smell like anything. And there's no garbage in the water. Odd...

The passage narrows suddenly, and I grab the wall to avoid falling in the green-ish looking water. And then I see myself-a 21-year-old. But instead of the skinny jeans and white t-shirt I was wearing earlier, I'm instead in a red and white dress with pockets. And not just any dress, a dress that looks like it's out of the 1800s. Sticking my foot out, I see with relief I still have my brown combat boots. I put my hands in my pockets and feel around. My right hand closes on my red lipstick, mascara tube, and iPhone, and my left hand closes on...I take it out of the pocket. There, in my hand, is a small pistol that looks like it's come right out of my post-Civil War history book from 5th grade.So, I'm sometime in the 1870s or wasted beyond belief, I think sourly. Where, I guess I'll find out if I ever get out of this tunnel. So I hold my back to the wall and edge myself along until I reach a point where the walkway is big enough so I can walk normally. My senses are tingling, thanks to those classes. The feeling I'm being watched sets in...

**Erik POV  
**Rounding a corner, I see the invader. It's a young woman with red-brown hair, pale skin, a set of gray eyes, and a red-and-white gown. I've never seen her before. She is not a chorus girl, nor a patron I've ever witnessed. But she is still an intruder, and intruders must be...taken care of accordingly. To my surprise, however, as I spring for her, she suddenly ducks out of sight, and my feet are kicked out from underneath me. I swear and struggle to my knees, where I meet a pistol in my face.

The girl looks at me with surprise and anger in her eyes. Punjab lasso vs. pistol. This is going to be difficult. Especially as she now has her free hand at the level of her eyes. "Let's make a bargain," she says, her voice coldly calm. "You put away the lasso, Monsieur Phantom, and I put away the gun." "How do you know me?" "You wouldn't want to know." "Actually," I say, my annoyance growing, "I do want to know." "I know all about you, and I've heard stories about you 'haunting' the opera house." "Oh." Pause. "I will not hurt you. Put down the gun." She shrugs and puts it in her pocket, and then offers me her hand. Why? The look in her eyes is not pity nor contempt, but respect and awe. As if I am equal to her, a normal person-even more. After a moment, I take it and she pulls me to my feet.

"What is your name, mademoiselle?" "Anya Oyen." I decide not to press on. She's put the gun away, but I don't know what she's capable of, seeing as she was somehow able to block my attack. "Mademoiselle Oyen,-" "Call me Anya." "...I cannot let you out of here. You have come to the lair of the Opera Ghost and seen what lies within." "Fine. I really don't mind at all." I turn and stare at her in disbelief. "What?" "I said, I don't mind."_ ...how...?!_ "Really?" "Yes, I don't-"

Suddenly, a screech like a dying animal interrupts her. I wince and clench my fists. Carlotta. Anya kneels and claps her hands over her ears, biting her lip. "What the hell is that?!" I sigh. "That's La Carlotta, the prima donna." "She sounds like a cow being whipped while being burned alive!" I laugh in spite of myself, and she gives a little smile from the floor. Huh. Maybe social interaction isn't a bad thing. It was like our shared hatred for the frog's music had opened a window for us to be possible...allies. However, Anya's smile quickly vanishes and turns into a wail as Carlotta tries for a cadenza. "Does she do this all the time?" "Yes..." "Good God! How do you block it out?" "I just play my organ. Come with me." She follows me as I start to lead her back through the maze of corridors that I'd quietly run through to attack her.

"Why don't you mind staying?" I ask her quietly. Anya shrugs. "This is so...twisted. I think it's beautiful here." I glance at her over my shoulder in surprise and then look forward. She thinks it's beautiful. She looked at me when she'd helped me like I was an equal. Could she...I look at her again. She is smiling blissfully, running her hands over the wall and looking around, her gray eyes taking in everything. I take back what I thought earlier. Whoever, no, _whatever,_ this girl is, she is not normal. I decide to take a risk and sing to her-

**__**_Past the world you think you know? Been enthralled to the call_**  
**_Of the beauty underneath?_**  
**_Have you let it draw you in_**  
**_Past the place where dreams begin? Felt the full breathless pull_**  
**_Of the beauty underneath?_**  
**_When the dark unfolds its wings_**  
**_Do you sense the strangest things? Things no one would ever guess_**  
**_Things mere words cannot express?_

****I feel her eyes burning into my back as she says, simply, questioningly, "Yes." I get the courage to go on-

_Have you ever been beguiled by the dangerous and wild? Do you feed on the need_

_For the beauty underneath?_**  
**_Have you felt your senses served_**  
**_And surrendered to the urge? Have been hooked as you looked at the beauty underneath?_**  
**_When you stare behind the night_**  
**_Can you glimpse its primal might? Might you hunger to possess_**  
**_Hunger that you can't repress?_

"Yes..." her hand suddenly wraps around mine, and I stiffen in surprise. If I had any doubts that Anya was not normal, they're gone. She sings softly, her eyes wide and glassy-

_It seems so beautiful...So strange, yet beautiful..._

_Everything's just as you say..._**  
**Here Anya lets go and twirls a bit. I put a hand to my normal half and sing to myself as I watch her-**  
**_And she's too beautiful_**  
**_Perhaps too beautiful_**  
**_What I suspect cannot be_**  
**_And yet, somehow we both see_**  
**_The very same way_  
Suddenly she turns to me and skips backwards, eyes sparkling, a daring smirk on her face that I can't help but return as we duet-**  
**Is there music in your head?**  
**_Have you followed where it led?_**  
**_And been graced with a taste_**  
**_Of the beauty underneath?_**  
**_When it lifts its voice and sings_**  
**_Don't you feel amazing things?_**  
**_Things you know you can't confess?_**  
**_Things you thirst for nonetheless?_**  
**Anya's eyes go back from me to wandering around as I take her hand and lead her down the corridors. Have I found someone who can sense the beauty underneath? As much as I have been let down in the past, a glimmer of hope shines in my heart.**  
**_It seems so beautiful (can it be?)_**  
**_Almost too beautiful (do you see what I see?)_**  
**I can barely believe it. I pinch myself awake as I sing to myself-**  
**_To her it's beautiful_**  
**_My world is beautiful_**  
**_How can this be what it seems?_**  
**She smiles at me-a real smile-as we sing together and I lead her into the lair-**  
**_All of my most secret dreams_**  
**_Somehow set free!_

"Woah..." Anya breathes, letting go of my hand and walking around my lair as if it will vanish before her at any moment. "Did you...do this...all by yourself?" "Yes." Anya laughs and turns to me, eyebrow raised, arms crossed. "Well, I'm impressed." _When will she cease to amaze me?_ She walks up to me, wide gray eyes almost seeing my very soul. "Erik Destler, am I right?" If I was drinking anything, I would've spewed it out in shock. I stare at her. "How did you..." She puts her hand to her face and lets out a breath. "Um. Well. Like I said earlier, I've heard the stories." Her hand reaches out for my mask. When I shy away, she sings softly-

_I've let it draw me in, past the place where dreams begin_**  
**_I've felt the full breathless pull_**  
**_Of the beauty underneath_**  
**_Show me the beauty underneath! _I take a deep breath, tear off the mask, and wait for the sound of a scream, running feet, laughter, or an unconscious Mademoiselle Anya Oyen hitting the floor, but instead-

_Crowded streets are cleared away_**  
**_One by one_**  
**_Hollow heroes separate_**  
**_As they run_**  
**_You're so cold, Keep your _**  
**_hand in mine_**  
**_Wise men wonder while _**  
**_strong men die_****

_Show me how it ends, it's alright_**  
**_Show me how defenseless you really are_**  
**_Satisfied and empty inside_**  
**_That's alright_**  
**_Let's give this another try..._**  
**"You...you're not ugly. You're a...sight, yeah. But I've seen worse." I open one eye. Sure enough, Anya's face is more confused and curious than afraid. She gulps in a breath, and then asks in a rush, "May I hug you?" The formality of her request strikes me like a blow to the head. I nod, yes, I'm too much in shock to say anything else.

Anya pulls herself to me, and awkwardly puts her arms around me. The sheer simplicity, the kindness this girl is so willing to show me hits me in the face like a brick. I pull her back as she begins to pull away. I want this to last as long as possible.We stand there for a minute or so. And in this moment, I swear, I am infinite **(GUESS! THE! REFERENCE!)**. She lets go suddenly, picks up my mask, and hands it back to me. "Why?" Anya cocks her head. "Why what?" "Why did you hug me?" "...I don't like seeing people in pain...that I like, anyway. Anyone else, sure, I'd probably be the one inflicting it." Her odd way of speaking strikes me. "Where exactly are you from?" She opens her mouth, before reaching into her left pocket and taking out a small black rectangle with a picture of an apple on the back. She presses a button, a light shines from it, and she shoves it in my face. "Here, that's where."

_June 28th, 5:30 PM, 2012._

**__****Wow, that was a lot to write! Anyway, "The Beauty Underneath" belongs to Andrew Lloyd Webber (along with everything else but Anya) and "So Cold" belongs to Breaking Benjamin. "The Beauty Underneath" is a song from the sequel to POTO, Love Never Dies. I'm not a fan of the storyline, but the music is pretty good, check it out. **


	2. One Day I'll Fly Away

**A/N: Hey everybody! Sorry it took me a bit longer to update this, but I've somehow managed. Before you read, I want to establish two things-  
1-This story will not have a happy ending. If anything, it's going to be bittersweet. I may do a sequel,  
2-If you want to know what Anya is like, put these characters in a blender-Jay Gatsby(The Great Gatsby), Satine(Moulin Rouge), Lenin and Anna(Anna Karenina). Those are her 4 main bases, she will be more developed as the story goes on. Enjoy!**

I stand here, holding the iPhone in his face, hoping he'll believe me. Seriously. I know I'm crazy-in a good way-but the last thing I want is to be thought of as insane by Erik. He slowly nods at me before opening his mouth to speak, but what comes out is not what I expect-

"What is this device?" I blink. "It's an iPhone." Erik raises an eyebrow. "Eye-fone?" I giggle. "No, Erik, it's a communication device. You use it to talk to people." He takes it from me, looking at it in bewilderment. "That painting..." he jabs his finger at the screen. The screensaver is of a cream background with _The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn Is Just To Love And Be Loved In Return_ in green cursive.

"It's not a painting, Erik. It's a photograph." "But...it's in color?" "Did you _not _just read the time on that? I'm from 2012!" "I suppose there _would _be technological advances..." "Yes, yes. Can I have it back?" He hands it back to me, a little reluctantly. and I put it in my pocket with the pistol. "How did you get here?" I shrug helplessly. "I fell asleep on a couch backstage, and then I woke up here...to tell you the truth, I don't know if I'm really here, Erik, or if I'm just dreaming, or if I'm drunk." "I can assure you, Anya, I am _completely_ real. You said you fell asleep backstage, are you a dancer?" I shake my head. "I can dance some ballet, but it's not my top priority. I'm better at singing and acting." He smiles a bit. "I could tell you had practice when you sang. You're a very good alto." I blink dumbly. Two of life's goals complete today-get complimented by a fictional character, _and _block someone's 'surprise' attack. "Oh, th-thank you." "Which is why I have a little deal for you." I raise an eyebrow and look at him sideways. "Keep talking..."

Now, you might be wondering why the hell I would be making a deal with a highly dangerous man that I just met minutes ago. One, I know how to evade his attacks. And two, I have a reputation in 2012 New York-I'm Anya freaking Oyen, and I never back down from anything. And even if I'm thrown in another world, _hell, _I'm keeping it up.

"Would you like lessons?" I think my face has just went the color of my hair. I was _not _expecting that.

"...what's the catch?"

"Oh, I just need someone as an extra pair of eyes in the Opera House..." _He calls THAT a catch? Are you kidding me? I would KILL FOR THAT!_

"You, my friend, have a deal." We shake on it. "Hang on. How will I be explained?" Erik thinks for a moment, his brow furrowed. "I'll send a message to Madame Giry, explaining everything," he says, sitting down at his desk and starting to write. I come up behind him and put my hands on the back of his chair. "Yeah, but how do you explain a girl wandering around the back of the Opera House, huh?" He stops and lifts his head, turning it to me slowly, a wicked little smirk on his face. "Anya, are you good at playing unconscious?" "Yes." "How are you so sure?" I literally double over laughing. "Erik, in my play, I have to _faint and fall out of a swing 20 feet in the air _and I have to pretend to _die of consumption. _I think I got this." He smiles. "I guess you do. So, we say you're an American actress?" "Yes," I say, walking around his lair some more.

"What's that you're humming?" "Oh," I say in surprise, ducking out of his room with the possessed monkey **(A/N: Seriously, that thing scares me to death.)** I realize I was humming _Children of the Revolution. _"One of the songs from my play." "What is this play, exactly?" "It's called _Moulin Rouge." _**(What? Favorite movie of all time. BELONGS TO BAZ LUHRMANN. Do you really think I would be writing this if I owned it?)** "It's a play about the _nightclub?" _I shrug. "I didn't write it. I play the lead girl." "...sing me a song she sings." I purse my lips-_Sparkling Diamonds _or _One Day I'll Fly Away? _Meh. Go with the slower, softer one. I open my mouth and sing-

_I follow the night, can't stand the light_

_When will I begin to live again?_

_One day I'll fly away, leave all this to yesterday_

_What more could your love do for me? When will love be through with me?_

Erik stops writing and just listens. I stand right in the middle, between the water and his organ. For a moment, as I glance down at the floor, an image flashes before my eyes-the floors scarlet red and wet, Erik's unmasked face looking up in horror, a girl clad in black lying in the red. Then it vanishes, and the floor is back to normal. I continue-

_Why live life from dream to dream?_

_And dread the day when dreaming ends?_

_One day I'll fly away! Leave all this-to yesterday!_

_Why live life from dream to dream?!_

_And dread the day...when dreaming...ends...?_

_One day, I'll fly away...fly...fly...away..._

Erik turns and grins at me. "Bravo!" I laugh. "Thanks. Are you done with that?" "Yes. Come now." He extends his hand to me as he walks down, I take it, and he leads me to the boat. As we pull out of his lair, I look at where I was standing, and I swear it looks red._ I fear too early, for my mind misgives some consequence...yet hanging in the stars, shall bitterly begin his fearful date..of despised life enclosed...by some vile forfeit of untimely death. But he who has steerage of my course, direct my suit. _"Were you saying something, Anya?" Erik asks, concern in his dark green eyes. "No," I reply sweetly. He turns back to his course. _On, masked gentleman._

About 5 minutes later, I'm hiding in the shadows of an entrance to Erik's lair while he goes and drops the note for Madame Giry. From what I can tell, I'm near the ballet dorms. I say that because I hear girly giggles and talking. Kind of reminds me of high school. A hand suddenly closes on my shoulder. "It's me!" Erik hisses in my ear. "Did she get it?" I whisper, turning to look at him. He nods. "She's ready for your arrival." He looks cautiously out the door. "It's empty, but I hear some girls coming. When Madame Giry knocks thrice on wood, open your eyes." Then, unexpectedly, he smiles. "Put on a show." I wink and grin at him. "I'll come and visit you later, I promise," I say, and then I step outside, shoving the gun and iPhone as far into my pocket as they will go.

I gasp for air a few times before falling to the ground with a very loud _thump, _closing my eyes and opening my mouth slightly. The sound of feet running in my direction stop suddenly, and I hear a whole lot of girls screaming. The sounds of more people running approaches. Apparently, the girls feel the need to still scream in horror. Suddenly, I'm hoisted up by my armpits and Madame Giry says over the commotion, "Take her to my office, Collette, Jean, watch her." And just like that, I'm being dragged off to her office by a pair of strong arms. I slit open my eyes-barely-and see, far up in the rafters, Erik smirking. I close my eyes and hang by head. Boy, am I gonna have fun with this.

**A/N: So, how was that? Anyway, that little monologue that Anya has in her head is taken from ****_Romeo and Juliet, _****Act 1, Scene 4. It's when Romeo is heading to a Capulet celebration and thinks that something bad will happen because of him going to the party. I don't own ****_Moulin Rouge, Romeo and Juliet, _****or ****_One Day I'll Fly Away. _****Moulin and 1 Day [...] belong to Baz Luhrmann. Romeo and Juliet belong to Shakespeare.**

**R+R, I promise I'll get the next chapter up sooner!**


	3. I Will Not Bow-Sparkling Diamonds

**A/N: First of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! YOU GUYS KEEP ME GOING! Okay, now on with the story. Enjoy!**

I lie there on the couch and try my best not to smirk. Never, ever had I played being passed out/dead and had it work so well! I can barely keep that grin off my face. I honestly feel like bursting into dance.

"I wonder where she came from!" a girly voice says in awe**. **"Does anyone know her?"another feminine voice asks."No, nobody recognizes her."I groan in order to get their attention."Look, she's waking up!Come on, let's get Madame Giry, Collette."Their footsteps quickly retreat, and I open my eyes to slits. Yep, I'm in Madame Giry's office all right. I close my eyes and think hard.

Madame Giry may know about me (except my little TARDIS incident), but nobody else does, so I guess I need some stories about my background. The name's Anya Oyen, American actress, came to visit Paris, fell down a hole near the Populaire, woke up here. I put my hand in my pockets and feel around. The pistol and iPhone are still in the right pocket, the mascara and lipstick are still in the left. If I get found out about the gun, running away to the Rouge it is. I take my hands out just as I hear the door open, someone come in, and close.

_Rap-_one-_rap_-two-_rap-_three. I open my eyes and sit up. Holy crap, it's Madame Giry, holding the note that Erik had gotten to her. Any doubts I had about this being real are diminished. It's _Madame freaking Giry, _damn it. She smiles at me halfway as I stand at attention. "Mademoiselle Oyen, correct?" I grin and nod. "Yes, that's me." "Well, first of all, I would like to say that you are a very convincing actress." "Oh-thank you!" I say sweetly. She walks around me for a couple moments, and then she stops. "The Opera Ghost said you wish to be in the chorus. Can you sing or dance?" I nod. "I've been dancing since I was...6. I've also done a lot of plays and musicals in America." "Musicals?" "It's a type of American theater that combines songs, acting, and dance. I know it sounds like opera, but in musicals EVERYONE sings-dancers included. It's like every type of theater combined, so to speak." **(Yes, the first musical was _The Black Crook, _first performed in 1886 on Broadway.) **

Madame Giry's eyes burn into me like a hawk's. I stand my ground. I know what she's up to-trying to intimidate me. I stare right back at her. _I will not bow, I will not break. I will shut the world away. I will not fall, I will not fade. I will take your breath away. _Something in my eyes says that, and she retreats, a new look of surprise and respect in her eyes. I don't think a lot of people stand up to her.

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupts our staring contest. "Come in," Madame Giry says. In comes the manager, Lefevere. I lose the hard glare in my eyes and stand at attention, like a soldier. He turns to me. "Mademoiselle, are you all right?" I nod and smile. "I'm fine, monsieur." "What is your name?" "Anya Oyen. It's a pleasure to meet you," I say politely. He turns to Madame Giry. "Madame Giry, Belle is sick and cannot sing for Hannibal. Are there any of the ballet girls who could take her role?" Madame Giry turns to me with a smile. "Well, Anya Oyen, I do believe you came at just the right time..." My eyes widen. _Where do I sign?_

**30 MINUTES LATER...**

"Everyone, this is Anya Oyen. She will be taking Belle's place for _Hannibal." _Belle, whoever the hell she is, is super lucky. This costume is weird. It consists of a white shirt, white skirt, little red frilly overskirt, cream corset (I'm used to corsets due to _Moulin Rouge _and some other plays, but it's still annoying), and blue eyeshadow stretching from my eyes to my hairline. Even my hair is put up formally. Thankfully, they let me keep my brown boots. I guess Steve Madden doesn't really stand out. Thanks, Steve!

The members of the chorus come up to me (not the ballet girls, they're just arriving up now). They too are wearing the costumes from the movie. A young woman with brown hair, about a year older than me, in the same costume as I, sticks out her hand. "I'm Amelie." The others introduce themselves also, and soon we're all chatting like old friends. "So you'll be doubling as a dancer and singer?" Dione asks. I nod. One of the men-Pierre-groans. "Witch alert." I follow his gaze. "Is that La Carlotta?" "You know her?" "Not _personally-_but I've heard her sing and-" I shudder for emphasis and they all nod.

Carlotta is being followed by her servants, one of them holding her little white poodle. "I'm-a here!" I groan and whimper as Amelie and Pierre pat my shoulder comfortingly. "You'll get used to it." "That doesn't make it any better," Dione yells/whispers. Carlotta catches sight of us and starts stomping in our direction. Something about her makes something snap inside me. _I will not bow. Anya Oyen does not bow down to anyone. _I put on a Bond look-half poker face, half smirk-as she reaches us.

"If you-a want to-a know who-a's getting the-a solos, it's-a me!" _Mario! _I think, trying to keep the Bond look. I see everyone sort of cowering, so I stand up straight and tall and purse my lips. She can't hurt me. It's not like she's _able _to. Everyone's eyes widen and all are on me. Even Madame Giry, Reyer, and Lefevere look kind of surprised and-_relieved?_ I don't think anyone does this. Even she looks kind of surprised, and then she regains her composure. "What is-a so amusing?" _Your face. _I shrug and hold out my hands. "What? I wasn't laughing."She gets all up in my face. _God, her breath stinks! _"Tell me your name." _Bond smirk._ "Oyen. Anya Oyen." "Well, _Anya Oyen, _watch your back." "Do I really have anything to worry about?" I say, bored. Her face goes red as her hair, and the stagehands let out low whistles. The ballet girls are giggling, the orchestra is snickering, Madame Giry, Reyer, and Lefevere are smiling and shaking their heads. Even Piangi is trying to shade a grin.

"W-well of course!" she sputters. "Ah..." I breathe out through my mouth and tip my head to roll my eyes. "Knew there wasn't!" At this point, everyone loses it. Even Piangi is cracking up. Only Carlotta's servants try to remain poker-faced, but I see their eyes sparkling. I turn away from the sputtering, pissed-off Carlotta and smirk at my new friends. However, I sense it coming, and in a flash, I catch Carlotta's hand that she intended to slap me with, circling it with my thumb and middle finger.

Everyone goes deadly silent again. Everything slows down. I don't even turn around to look at Carlotta, although I can picture the look on her face. "I. Dare. You. Signora." I say, the words coming out more venomous and icy than I intended them to be, which is even better. I slowly, casually, release her hand with a hard, bored look on my face. I turn and see her glare at me-I _guess _she's supposed to be threatening me? Or just looking stupid? I kind of can't tell-before she snaps her fingers and stomps off with her servants to her dressing room.

Everyone breaks from their silence with thunderous applause and cheering. Piangi even smiles at me with respect before hurrying after Carlotta. I think I'll like it here. Christine and Meg look especially happy. I nod in their direction, smirk, and bow. Lefevere is looking at me with a proud look in his eye as he walks over to me. "You, Mademoiselle Oyen, have made my day." I smile. "Thank you, Monsieur. It is my honor." As I look up, I see Erik clapping in the rafters. And somehow,  
that means more to me than the others' applause.

**AT BEDTIME...**

"What is it like in America?" Jean and Collette ask me at the same time. Jean and Collette, apparently, are the two girls that say "They must be rich," during the introduction of Firmin and Andre and the ones who are all dressed up during the 'Magical Lasso Scene'. "Are the men handsome?" I laugh and smooth out the nightgown Meg Giry gave me-white with a black ribbon around the waist with elbow-length sleeves. "Well, it depends on your opinion of guys. We've got 'em from all over-China, Japan, South America, Persia-anywhere there are guys, we've got at least _one_ in New York City." "Have you always lived in America?" Christine asks. "No." "Well then, where have you lived?" I smile and cross my legs. I feel like one of those wise old storytellers you see in the beginning of a movie.

"Let's see. Where to begin? I was born and raised in one of the most beautiful places on Earth-Pondicherry, India." **(Anyone who guesses where I got that line from gets Erik points!)** "India!" All the girls exclaim. I laugh. "Yes. My mother is Indian, my father is Russian. That's why I really don't look all that Indian." "What was it like?" a girl with long, straight brown hair asks. I doubt most of these girls have been outside of France, let alone Europe. I close my eyes and picture Pondicherry as it was before I left. "It was beautiful. They have the most beautiful, white beaches you'll ever see. And I mean, _ever. _It's so warm, and it's sunny most of the time. The people are really nice. You feel like everyone's family. But then after I turned 6..." I snap my fingers. "Off to Russia it was. Oh, Russia was nice-freezing cold-but it was beautiful in its own right. It's where I learned ballet. I moved back to Pondicherry 4 years later, and after 2 years of living there, I moved to America. And now I'm here." "Sing us an American song!" a blonde girl who looks no older than 16 asks of me. I pause. Oh, what the hell. I stand up and move my arm slowly over my audience. "The French...are glad to die...for love. They delight...inviting...duels...But I prefer, a man who lives...and gives expen-sive..._jewels!"_

I hop off my bed and start dancing as the girls crack up and clap me on. "A kiss on the hand, may be, quite continental, but DIAMONDS ARE A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND! A kiss would be grand, but it won't PAY THE RENTAL on your humble flat-or help you feed your pussycat!" I do a break-dancing lock and pop. "Men grow cold as, girls grow old! And we all lose our charms in the end! But square cut-" I make a box with my hands as the girls dance around me "-or pear shaped, these rocks don't lose, their shape! DIAMONDS ARE A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND!" I did a couple of Satine's moves, the girls twirling and jumping and laughing around me. "TIFFANY'S! CARDIER! 'CAUSE WE ARE LIVING IN A MATERIAL WORLD, AND I AM A MATERIAL...GIRL!"

**A/N: So, how was that? The next chapter, the real storyline begins. I own nothing-I Will Not Bow belongs to Breaking Benjamin, and Sparkling Diamonds/Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend belong to _Moulin Rouge _and Marilyn Monroe. Thanks so much for reading, and please review!**


	4. Your Song-Hannibal

**A/N: You know, while Hurricane Sandy was ravaging the East Coast and I was writing Anya and Carlotta's meeting, I had ****_Thunderball _****(the introduction song from the James Bond movie of the same name) on replay. I've actually got a playlist for this story. Thanks to TammerTime for helping me out with #3, and here we go!**

_Anya stands here, alone on a long, dark passageway. She can see nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing. Yet she sees everything, for only her to hear, she hears everything, for only her to hear, and she feels everything, for only her to feel. And then it shines before her-a green light. She reaches out to touch it, but it floats away. She runs after it, running as fast as she posssibly can, even faster, faster than the speed of light, then sound, but the light is always just beyond her reach, even after she flies after it. She gets as close as she can to the light, and suddenly it's yanked away. She looks up, and he's there, smiling gently, yet pulling the light away from her, and always, always, never letting her touch it._

**3 DAYS LATER...**

Now I've gotten into the Opera House schedule. It's not like I have any lines to myself in _Hannibal_, all I have to do is sing along with everyone else. However, Reyer is holding auditions for the assorted solos that will be in _Hannibal. _I'm not going to let Carlotta get away with getting all the female ones. Even though I know that she's not gonna sing, might as well put insult before injury. Also, I had my first lesson with Erik the day after I arrived. He and I also goofed around with my iPhone, and for my first task he gave me, I have to use one of my prank apps on Carlotta during the auditions. It's one of the prank apps I use a lot, one of the most immature ones.

Carlotta stands on the stage, ready to sing. I'm hiding in Box 5, which Erik gave me access to because he knows that it's easier for me to mess around on my iPhone from there because a.) the stagehands might find me with it if I'm backstage and b.) nobody goes into Box 5. I set my iPhone on the loudest volume, select the longest and loudest mode, and wait.

"Maestro." Reyer nods and starts up the orchestra. Carlotta opens her mouth, and I press the button with a smirk on my face. The sound is heard all around the theater, and I can picture the looks on everyone's faces. I bite my lip and shiver before pressing the button again while everyone cracks up. Then I quickly crawl over to the exit that Erik uses and head inside. I run through the way he showed me yesterday and soon I'm backstage laughing with the stagehands. _Sweet, sweet immaturity. iFart to the rescue, baby!_

In a couple minutes, it's my turn to sing. I head onstage casually, having calmed down. My iPhone is hidden and shut down with my pistol in my pocket. Reyer smiles at me. "Mademoiselle Oyen, how nice it is of you to audition. Let's start with the solo from Act I, shall we?"

My mind races, but when I hear the tune I almost cry with relief. Thank God for Les Mis. I sing Fantine's _I Dreamed A Dream, _using my best _One Day I'll Fly Away _voice. Reyer grins and thanks me, and I head backstage, where I meet up with Christine and Meg. They both hug me. "Anya, you were great!" Meg cheers. "Thanks Meg," I laugh. Christine nods eagerly. "You'll be singing before Carlotta if you got that. Make the audience feel better, huh?" I crack up. "Nice one! I don't think she's going to get it though, with her little vocal, mm, _malfunction _during her audition." I smirk. Meg starts to say, "Oh yes, that was-" but then she and Christine see the look on my face. Their jaws drop, I put a finger to my lips, wink, and promptly walk away.

**THE NEXT DAY...**

"...and the solo from Act I goes to our newest member, Anya Oyen." I pump my fist behind my back as my chorus buddies all grin at me and Meg and Christine nod at me. "Thank you Monsieur," I say in my most innocent voice with a bubbly little grin. After Lefevere finishes his announcements and walks away, Carlotta heads over to me, pissed off, but there is fear in her eyes. I match her gaze and I can almost feel my eyes shooting lasers into her own. "Don't-a think this is-a over, _Anya Oyen." _I narrow my eyes and say, my voice _oozing _with honey, "Did I ever say it was? A word of advice, signora-choose your battles wisely." Here my voice hardens and lowers. "If you don't, come what may, you will regret it until your dying day. _Do svidanya." _And I casually head over to the girls. Jean points behind me. I turn with my eyebrows raised and I see Carlotta sputtering. _"Nāṉ uṅkaḷukku tairiyam." _I spit. She turns and heads off with her maids to her dressing room.

"How are you _not _intimidated by her?" Christine asks in wonder. "What's to be intimidated by? She's all bark and no bite. She won't hurt you." "You mean she won't hurt _you." _I purse my lips and nod. That's actually a pretty good argument. "Well, yeah...why don't I just teach you how to stand up to her?" They all blink, like standing up for yourself is an odd concept. Then I remember-women didn't really stand up for themselves at this period in time. "Okay, not stand up to her, but how to peeve her without getting yelled at, yes?" They all nod."Okay, so let's say that Lefevere is retiring, as the rumors say. When he is showing around the new manager-or managers-around, Carlotta's gonna try and have all their attention. Don't let her. Steal all of it. However, you have to make it look innocent." They all nod, and then the break is over. Back to rehearsal it is.

**ERIK POV, A FEW HOURS LATER**

I sit in my lair, writing a note for the two new managers who will be taking over the Opera Populaire. I heard Anya got the solo she tried out for, and am extremely glad for her. Her performance of threatening and aggravating Carlotta her first day was sublime. I didn't hear what they had been saying to each other today, but Anya had clearly left another lasting impression. Suddenly, I feel a presence in my lair, right behind me. I reach for my punjab lasso, but then a familiar voice says, "You try that, you're asking for long-lasting injuries." I roll my eyes and turn around. Anya is standing there. "Can't you ever come in through the waterway?" She shrugs. "Too obvious." "Congratulations for getting the solo from Carlotta." "Thanks!" She comes up and sits next to me on the bench. "What're you writing?" I sigh. "A letter to the new managers. They're coming in tomorrow. I need my salary, and to tell them how to run my opera house." "Which means 'run it my way or a huge misfortune comes your way', right?" I laugh. "Yes. What are you doing here, anyway?" She shrugs. "Most of the girls are out doing God-knows-what, and I just picked out my dress for the performance." She plinks a few keys on my organ. "Can you play?"

Anya purses her lips. "Only two songs." "Play me one," I encourage her. When she doesn't respond for a moment, I open my mouth, but she sings out-"My gift is my song!" Her voice echoes across the water, she turns to me for a moment, and then she starts to play. "And this one's for you...and you can tell everybody...that this is your song. It may be quite simple, but now that it's done...I hope you don't mind-" she smiles down at the keys "-I hope you don't mind, that I put down in words...how wonderful life is...now you're in the world..." I look at her curiously as she straightens up to look at the ceiling. "Sat on the roof, and I kicked off the moss. Well, some of these verses, well they-" she laughs and turns her head back to the keys. "They got me quite cross. But the sun's been kind, while I wrote this song. It's for people like you-" her eyes seem to light on me once before turning back to the keys, or was it my imagination? "-that keep it turned on...So excuse me, forget it, but these things I do-" now her eyes are fully on me, a nervous little smirk on her face "-you see, I've forgotten if they're GREEN or they're BLUE! Anyway, the thing is, what I really mean-" I smile back at her encouragingly "-yours are the sweetest eyes, I've ever seen!" She turns back to the keys, seemingly relieved. "And you can tell everybody that this is your song! It may be quite simple, but now that it's done...I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind, that I put down in words...how wonderful life is, now you're in...THE WORLD!"Anya finishes with a flourish. "That was amazing!" I tell her as she turns to me with a nervous smile. A shadow of-disapointment?-flashes across her face for a moment, but it's replaced with a smile. "Thank you. I think I need to go now. See you soon!" She stands up, leans down, gives me a hug, and then runs out the way she came.

**THE NEXT DAY, ANYA POV**

Here I am, idiotic costume and all, waiting with the rest of the chorus in our order, clutching a big handful of gold glitter in one fist. Carlotta is up there in even more ridiculous getup, holding the fake head. "This trophy from our saviors, from our saviors..." I wince. I can threaten, piss off, and injure that toad all I want, but that voice of hers is a pretty good weapon against me. "From the enslaving forces...OF ROME!" I shudder as we all march out, beating our shoulders with our left fists and singing- "With feasting and dancing and song, tonight in celebration...we greet the victorious throng, returned to bring salvation!" We all turn and walk in sync as the men come out and sing- "The trumpets of Carthage resound...Hear Romans, bow and tremble! Hark to our step on the ground, hear the drums, Hannibal comes!" We all come to formation as Carlotta steps on her dress and snarls, "You-a make-a my dress too long!" I throw glitter in the air and fall to my knees as Piangi walks up to the very front of the stage. He sings- "Sad to return to find the land we love-" the midget guy, whose name I found out is Claude, shakes his fist "-threatened once more by Roma's far reaching grasp!" Reyer rolls his eyes and tries to get Piangi's attention. I see Lefevere walking onstage with Firmin and Andre. I curse under my breath. These guys were so annoying.

"Monsieur Lefevere! I am _rehearsing!" _"Monsieur Reyer, Madame Giry, ladies and gentlemen, thank you. May I have your attention, please?" I get to my feet slowly as everyone falls silent. "As you know, for some weeks there have been rumors of my imminent retirement." Carlotta stops fanning herself and I exchange a look with the ballet girls, who are staring at me in shock. "I can now tell you that these were all true and-" "Aha!" Carlotta says to Piangi as everyone nods and whispers among themselves. "-er...it is my pleasure to introduce you to the two gentlemen who now own the Opera Populaire: Monsieur Richard Firmin and Monsieur Gilles Andre." Everyone applauds, and I do so lightly and with a fake smile. "I'm sure you have read of their recent fortune amassed in the junk business." "Scrap metal. Actually." Jean and Collette are twirling their hair and I hear Jean gasp, "They must be rich!" I mouth "They're _old." _"And we are deeply honored to introduce our new patron." "The Vicomte de Chagny!" In comes the fop himself. Honestly, the Raoul from the 25th Anniversary production was a whole lot cooler. Christine breathes out, "It's Raoul," as we all clap. "Before my father died...at the house by the sea...I guess you could say we were childhood sweethearts. He called me 'Little Lotte'." Meg whispers, "Christine, he's so handsome!" I turn my head slightly. Well, I guess the meaning of 'handsome' changes through the years. Maybe if he got a haircut...hmm...

"My parents and I are honored to support all the arts, especially the world renowned Opera Populaire." Carlotta's whole persona changes, and suddenly she's sweet and bubbly. "Vicomte, gentlemen, Signora Carlotta Giudicelli, our leading soprano for five seasons now." She gives a curtsy as her maids cheer her, "Brava! Brava!" I make a quiet barfing noise as Amelie and the others snigger. "And Signor Ubaldo Piangi." He gives a humble bow and Raoul says, "An honor, signor." "I believe I'm keeping you from your rehearsal. I will be here this evening to share your great triumph." He turns to Reyer and says, "My apologies, monsieur." He leaves as Reyer tries to cue in the musicians. Carlotta turns to her maids and sighs, "He love me. He love me. He love me, love me, love me." I maintain a horrified expression. "Ewwww..." Dione winces as we all head 'backstage'. Andre says to Raoul, "Thank you, sir. Thank you indeed for the wonderful words, so inspiring and encouraging. Everyone's going to get great encouragement from that. We'll do our very best, I promise." Madame Giry signals the dancers and starts talking to Andre and Firmin. "We take a particular pride in our ballet, monsieurs." "I see why. Especially that little blonde angel." "My daughter, Meg Giry." "And that _exceptional _beauty! No relation, I trust?" My face contorts even more. Ew. Jeez, I pity the women of this time. "Christine Daae. Promising talent, Monsieur Firmin. Very promising."

"Daae, did you say? No relation to the famous Swedish violinist?" "His only child. Orphaned at seven, when she came to live and train in the ballet dormitories." Much to my amusement, the managers are ignoring Carlotta, who is following them like a desperate puppy. The blonde teen and Jean and Collette catch my eyes and looks at me questioningly, as if to ask "Are we doing a good job?" I nod slowly with a smirk. "An orphan, did you say?" _Okay, my face is playing Twister now! That's gross! _"I think of her as a daughter as well. Anya Oyen-" I turn away innocently as she points to me "-is our newest member, hailing from America. She doubles as a dancer and singer. Gentlemen, if you would kindly stand to one side..." Us chorus people get in formation and start singing and waving and walking in sync. Jean throws her chain around Andre's neck, and he grins at Firmin before throwing it around his shoulder like a scarf. Carlotta walks among us, waving and smiling. Leonardo, one of the chorus guys, steps on her skirt, making her cry "Not on my dress! Why?" The elephant for Piangi to get on is rolled in. I think the one that was used for our _Moulin Rouge _show was about twice as big. We all sing- "The trumpeting elephants sound...Hear Romans, bow and tremble!" _Before the mighty army of Le Horrid Costumes! _I remember yelling when I was going all Rifftrax on this movie with my friends a few months ago. "Hark to our step on the ground...Hear the drums! HANNIBAL COMES!" The girls do their high kicks, Jean and Collette right in front of Andre and Firmin, before twirling and sitting as they stop. Carlotta looks pissed. As we all break apart, Jean and Collette start flirting with Andre and Firmin, much to my amusement. "ALL THEY WANT IS THE DANCING!" Carlotta yells. I hear my friend Sebastian- _Well, I can see WHY...I mean, you can't?_

"Well, the Vicomte is very excited about tonight's gala," Lefevere says pleasantly. Carlotta struts over to them, and Jean and Collette quietly go behind the managers. "Ah-ah-ha-ha. Allora, allora, allora. I-a hope that he is-a excited by dancing girls as your new managers. BECAUSE I WILL NOT BE SINGING!" "Alleluia!" I sing quietly. "Adiamo, tutti! Bring my doggie and my boxie! Bye-bye!" "What did we do?" Firmin and Andre ask nervously. "BYE-BYE DANCING GIRLS! SEE YOU LATER! BECAUSE I AM GOING NOW! IT IS FINISHED!" I jokingly _Heil Hitler_ salute as Ace and Claude give little waves. "Grovel, grovel." Lefevere instructs. "Principessa! Bella Diva!" "Si, si, si..." "Goddess of song!" _Yeah, goddess of crappy emo bands. _"Evello." "Monsieur Reyer, isn't there a rather marvelous aria for for Elissa in Act III of Hannibal?" Carlotta interrupts and rants, "Yes, yes, yes! Ma, no! Because I have not my costume ready for Act III! Because somebody did not-a finish it-a and I 'ate my hat!" I purse my lips and giggle to myself. "But I wonder, signora, as a personal favor, would you oblige us with a provate rendition? Unless, of course, Monsieur Reyer objects..." "If-a my managers command." "I thought you were leaving!" I hiss. "Monsiuer Reyer?" Reyer rolls his eyes and bows sarcastically. "If my diva commands." "Yes, I do." She tells us all to shut up. "Monsieur, why exactly are you retiring?" "My health." I can agree with Lefevere. Spending too much time with Carlotta can affect one's mental health. "Shh, shh, you as well!" She turns to me, but I turn my head and slightly raise my fist. She gulps and turns to her throat spray. "Maestro." The music starts up and she starts singing-or whatever the hell she's doing with her voice.

I bite my lip and dig my nails into my palms. _ERIK, ANY TIME NOW WOULD BE GREAT! _I want to ask those maids for some cotton. I release my fists and bring my hands to cover my nose and mouth. I see Erik up in the rafters mess around with some rope-_BA-DA-DA-DAAA! OPERA GHOST TO THE RESCUE!-_and the backdrop falls. I look up calmly as everyone screams and gets out of the way. Just before it hits the ground, I take one little step out of the way, leaving Carlotta to be squashed. "GET-A THIS THING OFF-A ME!" "He's here, the Phantom of the Opera!" Meg gasps. I roll my eyes and smirk up to the rafters. Erik grins and then leaves with a swoosh of his cape. The feeling of slight disapointment that I felt after I sang _Your Song _to Erik comes back, but I shake it off. "Buquet! For God's sake, man, what's going up there?" Joseph Buquet fixes the rigging and calls, "Please, monsieur, don't look at me! As God's my judge, I wasn't at my post. Please, monsieur, there's no one there. Or if there is, well then, it must be a ghost." I see Madame Giry pick up a note that has fluttered to the ground. "Signora, these things do happen," Andre says weakly.

Carlotta stares at him disbelievingly and screams-"For the past three years, these things do 'appen! And did you stop them from happening? NO! And you two, you're as bad as him! 'These things do 'appen!' Ma, UGH! Until you stop-a these things from 'appening, THIS THING, DOES NOT 'APPEN! UBALDO, ADIAMO! BRING ME MY DOGGIE AND MY BOXIE!" She marches off, and I fall to my knees and raise my arms in praise, along with my chorus buddies. Piangi turns to the men, snorts, "Amateurs," before leaving after Carlotta. "BYE-BYE AND CIAO! Now, you see! Bye-bye, I'm really leaving!" I nudge the chorus men and together we yell, "PRAISE GOD!" Everyone cracks up and Carlotta looks at me in anger before running off. Piangi gives us a thumbs-up before following her. Sweet heaven!

**A/N: Wow, that was a lot to write (even though I was writing the last segment while listening to _Gee Officer Krupke...)_! When I watched Carlotta's leaving scene I literally yelled out "PRAISE GOD!" Anyway, Your Song belongs to Elton John (although I used the Moulin Rouge version...) and Hannibal belongs to Andrew Lloyd Webber. iFart belongs to Apple and I don't own Les Mis, therefore _I Dreamed a Dream _is not mine. Thanks for reading!**


	5. I Dreamed A Dream-Angel of Music

**A/N: Hello everybody! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. Yes, RabidOrochimaruOtaku, you can use the pranks and ideas. So honored that I inspired you to write your own POTO fic! Also, some translations-  
_Do svidanya= _Russian for 'Until we meet again' or simply 'Goodbye." ___Nāṉ uṅkaḷukku tairiyam_=Tamil for 'I dare you.' Tamil is one of the main languages spoken in Pondicherry, and I figured it would make sense that Anya would grow up speaking it.****  
Guys**,** I need some help. Any other prank ideas Erik and Anya could pull on Carlotta are welcome (because I need some.) Yes, I'll give you guys full credit. Anyway, enjoy!**

Once everyone stops cracking up, Lefevere bows to Firmin and Andre. "Good luck, gentlemen. If you need me, I shall be in Australia." I have an urge to yell out _TAKE ME WITH YOU! _I've been to Australia once for a month-and I LOVED IT. But thankfully, I keep my mouth shut as Lefevere leaves. Madame Giry comes up, shows the new managers the note, and says, "I have a message, sir, from the Opera Ghost." Firmin groans, "Oh, God in Heaven, you're all obsessed!" The ballet mistress hands him the note and says, "He welcomes you to his opera house-" "His opera house?" Seriously, I was wondering the same thing. Why does Erik call it _his _opera house? I mean, sure, he _lives _in it, but that doesn't mean it's HIS. I should've looked over the note when I was with Erik yesterday instead of singing _Your Song. _Wait..._WHY THE HELL DID I DO THAT ANYWAY?! _"-And commands that you leave Box 5 empty for his use. And reminds you that his salary is due. Monsieur Lefevre paid him twenty thousand francs a month." _Wow, Erik, you're high maintenance. _

Firmin looks really pissed at this, and Madame Giry adds, "Perhaps you can afford more, with the Vicomte as your new patron?" Firmin snatches the note and says, "Madame, I had hoped to make that announcement public tonight when the Vicomte was to join us for the gala. Obviously, we shall now have to cancel as it appears we have lost our star!" He rips the note apart in a frazzled fashion, then Andre tries to cheer him up. "Yes, but surely there must be a, um..." He tried to think of a word, but found the word "understudy" when one of the stagehands calls out. Reyer complains, "Understudy? There is no understudy for La Carlotta!" Firmin points out to Andre, "A full house, Andre! We shall have to refund a full house!" Madame Giry walks towards Christine and said, "Christine Daae could sing it, sir." Andre raises a brow, "What, a chorus girl? Don't be silly." Madame Giry adds, "She took lessons from a great teacher." "Who?" Christine seems uneasy and replied, "I don't know his name, monsieur." _I bet he told her not to tell anyone, that's why. _Firmin mutters to Andre, "Andre, this is doing nothing for my nerves." "Well, she's very pretty." Andre replies. He coaxes her on- "Come on, don't be shy. Come on. Come along." Christine starts singing as Reyer gets the orchestra going. I remember fondly that I literally fell asleep at this part, because I was sung to sleep. I woke up just before my friends started using Sharpie on my face, though, so it was okay in the end. She's about to stop, but the managers and Madame Giry nod at her so she'll keep going. I grin and lean against the wall. _Good job, Erik. _

**A FEW HOURS LATER...**

Okay, I regret _ever_ complaining about having to wear Satine's Black Diamonds dress. The gown that I'm in now is pretty much exactly like it, except it's a ballgown and much more heavier. _Now all I need is a top hat, _I think in amusement. But seriously! Even though the Black Diamonds outfit was heavy too, it wasn't as big as this and I wasn't being dragged when I walked. It kind of reminds me of how the songs are-_Sparkling Diamonds _is light, fun, and flirty while _I Dreamed A Dream _is extremely depressing-at least in my opinion. At least the fact that I have the first solo lightens the burden. Means that I get to sit back afterward and watch the other people who have solos (except Christine) suffer. Mwhahahaha.

I adjust the silver circlet on my head before walking out onto the stage. The curtain rises, and as Reyer starts up the orchestra, I suddenly feel that adrenaline that I got when I played Satine-when she was lowered on the swing. All eyes on me, the stage is mine. Reyer nods at me, and I take a breath and start singing-  
_There was a time when men were kind  
When their voices were soft  
And their words inviting  
There was a time when love was blind  
And the world was a song  
And the song was exciting  
There was a time  
When it all went wrong  
_

I close my eyes and let the music wash over me. Suddenly, that green light-the one Erik has been holding from me every night in my dreams-flashes once before my eyes as I sing the next part-  
_I dreamed a dream in time gone by  
When hope was high  
And life worth living  
I dreamed that love would never die  
I dreamed that God would be forgiving  
Then I was young and unafraid  
And dreams were made and used and wasted  
There was no ransom to be paid  
No song unsung, no wine untasted_

_But the tigers come at night_  
_With their voices soft as thunder_  
_As they tear your hope apart_  
_As they turn your dream to shame_

I open my eyes and feel like I'm flying. And as I look at the audience, a green glow seems to emit from Box 5. I don't know if it's really there or it's just a figment of my imagination, but it makes me strong.

_He slept a summer by my side  
He filled my days with endless wonder  
He took my childhood in his stride  
But he was gone when autumn came_

_And still I dream he'll come to me_  
_That we will live the years together_  
_But there are dreams that cannot be_  
_And there are storms we cannot weather_

The light flickers once and then vanishes. Is it trying to tell me something or...? Whatever it is, I am suddenly filled with a sense of dread. I shake it off-_My makeup may be flaking, but the smile stays on._

_I had a dream my life would be  
So different from this hell I'm living  
So different now from what it seemed  
Now life has killed the dream...I dreamed...  
_

The applause is thunderous. I bow with a cocky little grin on my face as some flowers fall upon me. I pick them up and then head backstage once the applause has died to quickly change into my Hannibal costume. Meg, Christine, and all my friends crowd around me and congratulate me. Meg wraps me in a hug. "Anya, you were amazing!" I smile and laugh as Christine wraps me in a hug. "Thank you, everyone, but I have to change." And I run off to my dressing room at full speed. I had clocked my changing from Satine's Black Diamonds outfit to her Pink Diamonds outfit-one minute and 15 seconds. Getting out of this thing must take at _least _double that.

As I lace up my boots, I notice something sitting on my vanity. Hopping over while lacing up the left boot, I see that it's a scarlet carnation-black ribbon on the stem-with a note sealed with Erik's trademark red skull. How the hell he got here before I did, I'll never know. As I quickly apply the extensive blue eyeshadow, I open up the note with one hand. It reads-

_Dear Anya-_

_Your solo was sublime tonight. I know you will be amazing in Hannibal, as you have been since you came. _"Oh stop it, you," I grumble, about as red as my hair, as I start fixing aforementioned hair as fast as I humanly can. _I have to meet with Christine tonight, and I would very much like it if you told nobody. _"Jeez, Erik, what have I been doing for the past _week?!" I would very much enjoy it if you came to visit more often, not just for lessons. Also, if you have any more ideas on how to make Carlotta's life a living nightmare, please tell me about them. I have a few of my own as well. Sincerely, Erik. _I smile at it before shoving it with my red dress, which hides my gun and iPhone. "Anya, we're on in a minute! Come on!" I open the door, and Amelie is standing there. She grabs my hand and we run for it. As we get into position, I grab a handful of gold glitter. Let the show begin!

~*Guns*Diamonds*Lights*~

I mouth along with Raoul as he does his musical monologue-_Can it be? Can it be Christine? BRAVO! Long ago, it seems so long ago, how young and innocent we were..._He gets up to go and be the first one to see her. I smile as Christine finishes up with the perfect B-flat. The audience goes _WILD. _I mean, _crazy. _I nod, clap, and cheer with everyone else as Christine gets up from her bow. I leave after she throws Meg and I a grin. I run to the chapel, where I know she'll be soon. Sure enough, she appears in a few moments, jumping as she sees me. "What are you doing here?" I shrug. "I figured you'd be here." I point to the picture of her father. "Your father, correct?" She nods, biting her lip, before coming to her knees in front of the candles and lighting one. I stand there awkwardly behind her. I know I should probably start praying with her, but I just don't know. No matter how real this all is, I know, on my deepest level of subconsciousness, that this _can't _be true. I'm too confused.

"Brava, brava-" Christine lifts her head and smiles a little bit and I grin and nod. "-bravissima." I give a little wave and say quietly, "Hello, Angel." Christine's head snaps to me. "You-you heard him too?" I nod. _"Da, _Christine. Yes, I have heard and do hear." Her face lights up in wonder as we hear Meg sing- "Anya, Christine..." Erik's voice echoes, "...Anya, Christine..." as we both look up and smile. Meg comes in. "Where in the world have you been hiding? Really, you were perfect!" She sits down next to Christine on her right and I sit on her left. "I only wish I knew your secret, who is your strange tutor?" "When your mother brought me here to live...whenever I would come down here to light a candle for my father...a voice from above..." She and I exchange a glance, and we both say-"In my dreams, he's always there." Meg turns to me with a look of horror and worry on her face. "You too?" I nod with a sad little smirk. "Christine, Anya, do you believe? Do you think that the spirit of Christine's father is coaching the both of you?" Christine looks at her and answers, "Who else, Meg? Who?" She turns and sings, "Father once spoke of an angel. I always dreamed he'd appear. Now as I sing, I can sense him and I know he's here." She gets up and I sing, "Here in this room, he calls me softly. Somewhere inside, hiding. Somehow, I know he's always with me. He, the unseen genius." Meg looks at us worriedly as the three of us start to head out. "Anya, Christine, you two must be dreaming. Stories like this can't come true. You're taking in riddles and it's not like you." I, in response, make my eyes glaze, raise my arms to the ceiling, and sing a little bit of _Tri Svyatoe _**(A/N: A Russian Orthodox song I found one day while surfing the web) **that I remember sometimes singing with my father in St. Petersburg. _  
_

I turn to a very scared-looking Meg and say, "Sometimes, there is more truth in of what you dream...than in what is actually there before your eyes. Besides, how can Christine and I share a dream?" Christine nods along with me. I look back at the paintings of the angels in the small chapel, and for a moment, sad, frightened, insane gray eyes stare at me. Then they're gone. Christine and Meg sing together-  
_Angel of Music, guide and guardian  
__Grant me your glory/Who is this angel?  
Angel of music, hide no longer,  
Secret and strange angel!_

Christine looks around, visibly frightened. "He's with me even now." I take her hand and squeeze it. "Geez! Your hands are colder than ice!" I exclaim, trying to restore warmth with my own hand. "All around me..." "Your face, Christine, it's white!" "It frightens me..." "Don't be frightened." Soon, Meg leaves us and Christine and I run into Madame Giry. She takes us to Carlotta's dressing room, but we're quickly swamped by fans trying to give us gifts and flowers. Christine holds me up in front of her as Madame Giry tells them not to bug us. She shuts the door behind us and smiles. "You did very well, my dears. He is pleased with you." She hands Christine a red rose with a black ribbon and me-another note! I open it. It reads-  
_Dear Anya-  
__I am sorry for bothering you with yet another note, but I feel that this is important. I need you to deliver some notes for me. They are in your dressing room, waiting on your vanity. If you could deliver them tonight, that would be wonderful. I am so sorry for making you do this on such short notice, but what those notes contain is very important. I hope to see you soon.  
__Sincerely,  
__Erik_  
**A/N: Wow, that was a lot to write! I don't own I Dreamed A Dream, Think of Me, or Angel of Music. I also do not own Satine's Black Diamonds dress (I wish...). Anya's father is Russian Orthodox, which is why I had her sing the song. I hope you enjoyed reading this, and please review!**


	6. Not Strong Enough-Rhythm of the Night

**A/N: Hi! Guess who has too much free time on her hands...I was on a huge 'Les Mis on replay' kick while I wrote the last chapter. I own nothing but my OCs...anyway, enjoy!  
**

The door opens, and there's Raoul with a whole lot of flowers."Little Lotte let her mind Lotte thought-am I more fond of dolls, or of goblins, or shoes..."Christine and I grin as he put the flowers on a table."Or of riddles, of frocks...""Those picnics in the attic...""Or of chocolates..." "Father playing the violin..." "As we read to each other dark stories of the north..."

Christine says, "No, what I loved best, Lottie said, is when I am asleep in my bed..." She sings, "And the Angel of Music sings songs in my head." We all sing together, "The Angel of Music sings songs in my head." Raoul gives her a hug. "You sang like an angel tonight." He turns to me. "You were amazing during your solo, Mademoiselle Oyen." I smile. "Thank you so much. But please, call me Anya." "If you call me by Raoul." "Deal." Christine looks at Raoul and sighs, "Father said: When I'm in Heaven, child, I will send the Angel of Music to you. Well, Father is dead, Raoul. And I have been visited by the Angel of Music. Even Anya has heard him!" "Oh, no doubt of it. And now, we go to dinner." I restrain from cracking up. That line always makes me laugh for some odd reason. "No Raoul, the angel of music is very strict!" "Speaking of which-" I make for the door. "I need to do something for a strict friend of mine tonight. I'll see you tomorrow, I presume?" They both nod. I grin and head out. Once I am, I run as fast as I can for my dressing room.

Sure enough, four notes are lying upon my vanity, each with Erik's seal. A white carnation is now with the red one, black ribbon and all. Along with that is a long dark brown coat and a piece of black fabric, with yet another note. It says-  
_Anya-This is an old coat of mine. Use it to hide yourself as you deliver the notes. Don't return it, it's yours now. Use the piece of fabric to cover your whole face but your eyes. Keep the knife and gloves too. -E. _The gloves are sticking out of the left pocket. I put them on. Perfect fit. "Knife?" I frown. Then I see a hilt sticking out of the brown coat's right pocket. I take it out. The knife is about 5 inches long out of its sheath. I sheath it, shove it back fully into the pocket. I change from my costume to a slim red dress with a black belt. I shove my pistol with the knife and put my iPhone in the left pocket with the piece of black fabric. I then put on the coat. This thing is _warm! _I head outside, keeping my head down.

I don't get any attention as I walk to where I know Raoul's carriage is parked-I saw him arrive before the show started. His driver is an old, pudgy fellow. Unfortunately, he's positioned so he can see the carriage no matter what. Quietly, I come up behind him, the black cloth around my nose and mouth. I grab his shoulder, and before he can even cry out, I've punched him between the eyes. As he tries to regain his footing, I leave the note for Raoul-I know it's for him because Erik marked the envelopes for me (R for Raoul, C for Carlotta, etc.) and run. I head around a corner and hold myself against the wall for a few moments. When I'm positive that nobody is coming, I look at the next note-for Andre, it seems. I head back inside, sneak around corners, shove myself in a closet at one point to avoid some drunk stagehands, and soon I arrive at his office. He's not in-he probably left. I quietly leave the note on top of his desk and am about to sneak out when I hear him coming! I look around feverishly for a moment before diving under his desk. I pull my knees to my chest and start praying silently as the door opens.

"I forgot my hat!" I hear him and several other people come in and mess around. I hold my breath. "Now to dinner!" I hear them troop out, and then Firmin's voice say, "Andre, why don't you lock the door?" I feel the blood drain from my face and my heart pound as he doesn't respond for what seems like an hour. "Why? Nobody's going to be in here." "Good point." I hear them leave, and then wait a few moments before running out of there as fast as I can. Next up-Firmin. I flip the envelope over. Ah, his address. Thankfully, it's within walking distance, about 40% of a mile. I exit the opera house through the main door, keeping my head down. Nobody notices me, thankfully, as I walk briskly away. As I look around, I consider how different everything is. I once studied abroad here in France for a month when I was 13, and now it's a pretty big shock to me. No electric lights, no cars. It's so...odd. I remember running through empty streets one night-hey, wait a minute! I stand in shock. Here is the street I ran down, alone in the night, singing. Except for the fact that some of the buildings look newer and there are no electric lights, _it's this street. _Most of the time I ran with my friends, but the one I remember the most was me running by myself at around 1 in the morning, singing softly. I smile sadly for a moment, think, and then start running-

_I'm not strong enough to stay away, can't run from you, I'd just run back to you..._I stop in my tracks. What the hell? Why did _that _pop out? I mean, sure, it's one of my favorite songs, but...and then it hits me like a brick to the face. "Oh...no! No!" I groan in dismay. Granted, I do have a history of going after the mysterious, but...no way! _That's _why I was so upset when I sang _Your Song _and Erik just said it was a nice song. I sang that song because there was no way I'd start singing _Come What May _in there!...right? No. No. I can't ruin _this _story! I grab my head and squeeze my eyes shut. This isn't supposed to happen!After a few moments, I start running again.

_Like a moth, I'm drawn into your flame, you say my name, but it's not the same. You look in my eyes, I'm stripped of my pride, and my soul surrenders...and you bring my heart to its knees! _I suppose I have to face it. I've always been told that the way I act and how I live is going to come around and smack me. But...how is this bad? I consider what I was thinking earlier. I'm ruining the story! Wait. No. I'm not. He doesn't have to know. Then again, he's a good actor. I saw an odd flash in his eye when I sang-"Yours are the sweetest eyes, I've ever seen!" No. No, no, no. He doesn't know. He can't know.

The streets are pretty easy to follow here. Nobody's around, making my job much easier as I yank the black cloth over my face. As I jog, I consider my predicament. This is not supposed to happen. Christine is supposed to leave with Raoul, leaving Erik heartbroken and-from what the last scene and depressing song of the movie appears to state-forever alone. He is not supposed to fall for a Indian/Russian/American actress from the future, and she is not to fall for him. Hey, right now she should be singing as Velma Kelly in _Chicago_! On Broadway! (Yes, I auditioned for the understudy of the main Velma Kelly the day before I popped up in Erik's lair.) I did have a little fangirl crush on him for a while...but that was okay, because I knew I was never going to meet him and really go for him!  
_And it's killing me when you're away, I wanna leave, I wanna stay!_  
_And I'm so confused, so hard to choose_  
_Between the pleasure and the pain!_  
_And I know it's wrong, and I know it's right!_  
_Even if I try to win the fight, my heart would overrule my mind..._  
_And I'm not strong enough to stay away!  
_

Unfortunately, the song is right.I can't stay away, I can't stop, as long as I'm in 1871 Paris, France.I look at the address again and look around. Here's his house. It's quaint but nice. I notice a letter slip on the front door, look around-alone-slip it in, and run. I head into a small, quiet alley and look at Carlotta's note. Her house is about 1/2 a mile away, near Montmartre. Wait...Montmartre? AW YEAH! TO THE ROUGE! I pump my fist in the air-and then I sense someone behind me, reaching for me. I duck, take out the knife, and slash. I hear a yell of pain, turn, see it's a man whose arm I've cut, and run in the direction of Carlotta's house.  
_I'm not strong enough to stay away  
What can I do  
I would die without you!_

_Okay, WHAT. _I wouldn't _die _without him. But yeah, he's kind of got me trapped here. I thought I was strong. Pfft, yeah, right. But seriously, what do I do? I'm so freaking confused!  
_In your presence my heart knows no shame  
I'm not to blame  
'Cause you bring my heart to it's knees!_

___And it's killing me when you're away, I wanna leave, I wanna stay!_  
_And I'm so confused, so hard to choose_  
_Between the pleasure and the pain!_  
_And I know it's wrong, and I know it's right!_  
_Even if I try to win the fight, my heart would overrule my mind..._  
_And I'm not strong enough to stay away!  
_

I pause suddenly and just run. After making a few wrong turns, almost being mugged again (this time the threat of getting shot distracted the guy), I arrive at Carlotta's. Her house is big and overdecorated. I hear her yelling inside as I slink around. I see an open window, and slink over. It leads into a pink room-biiiig surprise-that I guess is the parlor. A small brown wooden table with a lamp and a white doily on it is right nearby. I reach my hand in, put the note in front of the lamp so it'll be the first thing she'll see when she comes in here. I take my hand back out and start walking around randomly. I feel like I'm reflecting myself.  
_  
There's nothing I can do  
My heart is chained to you!  
And I can't get free...  
Look what this love's done to me!_

_____And it's killing me when you're away, I wanna leave, I wanna stay!_

_____And I'm so confused, so hard to choose_  
_Between the pleasure and the pain!_  
_And I know it's wrong, and I know it's right!_  
_Even if I try to win the fight, my heart would overrule my mind..._  
_And I'm not strong enough to stay away!_

_Not strong enough, strong enough_  
_Not strong enough, strong enough_  
_To stay away_  
_Not strong enough, strong enough_  
_Not strong enough, strong enough_  
_I'm not strong enough to stay away!_

Just as I cry out the last part, I arrive at the gate. Montmartre. Ah! Time to forget about my worries in the rhythm of the night. I look around the tops of the buildings. A flash of red catches my eye, and I head in that direction. As I do, I hum _Diamond Dogs _under my breath, the black cloth now in my pocket. On my way, I meet: about 10 cancan girls, a bunch of rich boys who try to make a pass at me and fail miserably, and a couple of rats. Soon, here I am-in front of the Moulin Rouge. I can barely believe it! Of course, it would be a whole lot cooler if I was able to meet Christian, Satine, the Diamond Dogs, Zidler, and the Bohemians, but I'll make do with what I've got.

I stroll in, and-

Oh.

My.

God.

I don't know what to say. It's so beautiful here. Sure, the opera house is nice, but this place appeals to me. It's not all pure and sweet, it's tough, fun, and dark. I stand kind of awkwardly near a wall before a girl about my age (not a cancan girl), sitting with several young men and 1 other girl, sees me and waves me over. I smile shyly and head in their direction. "Hi!" the girl who waved me over squeals. "Hello," I say as everyone looks up and smiles as I sit next to her. "Is this your first time?" a black-haired girl with ice blue eyes asks. "To the Rouge? Yes." She turns to a boy who looks just like her. "You know the drill." He nods and waves over a waiter. "Get this girl a glass of Louis Roederer!" The waiter smiles at me. "Her first time, right?" "Yes." He nods curtly and heads off. A boy with blonde hair and brown eyes asks me, "So, where are you from? You're not from France, are you?" I shake my head as I take off my coat. "Well, where are you from?" "Born in India, lived in Russia and America, and then came here." They whistle and nod. "Who are you, anyway?" I ask as the waiter comes back with a flute full of bubbly. The blonde boy points at himself and goes clockwise as I down half of my glass. "I'm Francoeur, she's Lucille, he's Daren, the twins are Belle and Benoit. Belle's a singer at the Paris Opera House." I point at the black-haired girl. "So wait...you're Belle? I've been singing in your place!" "You're Anya Oyen?" "Yes!" She smiles. "Well, Anya, let's say you'll be singing as me for a long time..." "Why?" "I'm quitting!" I raise my eyebrow and lean in. "Seriously? Why?" "Sorry I'm late, everyone!" And Raoul slides in next to me-WAIT, WHAT?!

"Raoul?" I exclaim, nearly dropping my 1/4 full glass. "Anya?" We sit there gawping at each other as Lucille squeals, "Oh, you know each other?" "We just met tonight...at the Opera House..." Raoul says dumbly. "Please don't tell Christine," he hisses. I nod and hold my hand out. "We never speak of this again." We shake on it, and now the music changes. "Anya, do you know how to dance?" Belle asks, getting up with Daren. "Depends what kind of dance." "Like they're doing on the floor," Raoul clarifies, pointing. I feel a smile crawl onto my face. "Yes." "Raoul, dance with her, you haven't danced for a month." Lucille orders, sweeping a black-gloved hand towards us. Raoul and I both groan, but she throws us a look and pushes Raoul a glass of bubbly. He drinks it, we exchange a glance, and then head onto the dance floor.

"So...what are you doing here?" I ask as we bounce around to the beat. He looks around suspiciously before saying under his breath, "Christine...I heard a man's voice in the room with her when I-" He dips me along with the beat "-was waiting for her to come out-" We pop up in the center of the floor "-so we could go to dinner. I was-and still am-so confused, I decided to come here to calm down a bit. What are you doing here?" We dance around to the lurid symphony. "After I did the favor for my friend-" I get dipped and risen again "-I was in the area. I was in a play about some people here at the Rouge, and I thought that it would be nice to see what it was like." "Were you disappointed?" Raoul asks, twirling me around like a top. "No, not at all!" I laugh, breathless, as the song comes to a stop and everyone applauds. "Francoeur, what time is it?" I ask as Raoul and I sit back down. He checks his pocket watch. "It's 9 o'clock. Why? You won't be leaving now, would you?" I roll my eyes. "Are you kidding? We and the night are young!" I stand on the table, my friends cheering me on, and yell "OH RHYTHM, WANNA FEEL THE RHYTHM OF THE NIIIIGHT!"

**2 HOURS LATER...**

"See you around!" I call as Raoul and I get into his carriage. My new friends wave after us as we round a corner. Raoul and I stop giggling madly and fall into a blissful silence. His driver doesn't recognize me, thankfully. DAMN. Now my problem's back to haunt me. I consider my choices. I could potentially alter the whole story by trying to make Erik fall for me and then head off with him, but that doesn't seem right. I could try and get Christine with him every possible chance I get, but that does not feel right in my gut at all. Maybe...I could just love him. He doesn't have to know, right?

"Anya?" I turn and look at Raoul. "Yes?" "Can you keep a secret?" "Of course." "I do think...I'm in love with Christine." I smile brightly. "I knew it!" "How?" "You had that vibe around you. You were so happy when you were with her, and you were so concerned about hearing someone else with her. It's pretty obvious." "What do you think I should do?" "Tell her," I say simply, pulling Erik's brown coat tighter around me. He looks at me in surprise. "Wh-what?" "Tell her. There's no other way of her actually being with you if you don't tell her." Oh my God, I'm such an idiot. What am I doing, giving romantic advice to someone when I'm confused in my own matters of romance? Wait...why don't I just try it myself? No harm in it. I'm not going to explicitly say "I'm in love with you." That's what silly love songs are for, no? Raoul shifts uncomfortably. "I suppose I could..." "Raoul, there's no harm in telling her." _And how is your hair so awesome? _"I guess...oh, here's the opera house." "Thank you, Raoul," I say, hopping out of the now-stopped carriage. "Anya-" I turn. He raises a finger to his lips. I nod and reciprocate the movement. Then I head inside and run to the dorms.

I run into Jean and Collette on the stairs. "Hey, where have you been?" I ask them. "Out," Jean says, giggling. I roll my eyes and walk up with them. "And, pray tell, Anya, where have _you _been?" "Oh...Le Moulin." They gasp. "_The _Moulin Rouge?" I shrug. "Yeah, it's not that far from here." "...you. are. taking. us. with. you. next. time." I laugh and nod as we hit the dorms. I hear screaming, and-oh great-it's Buquet. _Classes__, __don't fail me now! _Jean, Collette and I scream/squeal jokingly (although I'm keeping up a slightly defensive stance) as we come up the stairs. Buquet proceeds to go "Rah!" 3 more times, in which the girls scream after every one. Jeez, what a bunch of weaklings. "Like yellow parchment is his skin...a great black hole serves as the nose, that, never grew." He takes off the cape and points around to us. "You must be always on your guard...or he will catch you, with his magical lasso!" He takes out a rope as the girls crack up and he turns to me.

I know what's coming, and before he can even get the rope over my head, I grab his arm and shoulder blade, and flip him over on the hard floor. When he tries to get up, I give him one, hard, good kick to the side. The girls all gasp as Buquet tries to get up. I purse my lips and shake my head-what a harmless adversary- as Madame Giry catches my eye. We exchange a glance, she gets him to his feet, and just for show, I take a defensive stance-one arm raised and curled above my head and the other arm outstretched. "Those who speak of what they know, find too late prudent silence is wise," I sing. Madame Giry takes over-"Find too late prudent silence is wise." "Joseph Buquet, hold your tongue!" She slaps him as I put the lasso around his neck. "Keep your hand, at the level of your eyes!" I choke him. He makes another pass at me, but I punch him in the eye and snarl a couple of Russian curse words as he runs off. I turn back to the girls, who are all looking at me like I'm God. I purse my lips and wag my head before heading off to change into my nightgown. If anything, I'm teaching these girls at least how to throw a decent punch.

**A/N: So, how was that? While writing this, I had Die Another Day and From Russia With Love (the songs) on replay. Anya can be quite the violent one when she wants to be, huh? Anyway, thank you for reading, and review please!**


	7. Notes-Jealous Man

**A/N: HELLO EVERYONE! First of all THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR GREAT REVIEWS! School's starting to gain on me, so updates will be less frequent, but they'll still be there. TheBurlesqueMistress92, thanks for the idea! I didn't plan on putting it in, but thanks!**** I do not own Notes, and seeing as I am not John Lennon, I do not own 'Jealous Guy.' Enjoy.**

**ERIK POV **

The view from the opera house view is a wonderful sight. The lights of Paris burn into the pitch black midnight sky. I wish I was here with somebody else, though. It's so lonely up here.

I suppose you may be wondering why I am on this roof. Christine is still unconscious in my lair, so I decided I'd come up here and clear my head. For a moment when I was singing to Christine, for a moment her eyes looked like Anya's. I'm so confused. _You see, I've forgotten if they're GREEN or they're BLUE! Anyway, the thing is, what I really mean...yours are the sweetest eyes, I've ever seen!__  
_

I look down into the street. A carriage pulls up, and I recognize Anya's brownish-red head and smile fondly. But...I lean a bit further and snarl in my rage as I see who is with her. That thrice-accursed Vicomte de Chagny! You must be joking! First Christine, now _**ANYA!**_ I can barely believe my eyes as Anya says something to him with a bright white smile and hops out of the carriage. He calls her name once and she turns. He raises a finger to his lips and she reciprocates the gesture with a smirk before heading inside. The Vicomte shakes his head with a little smile and says, "What a girl," before he turns back and his carriage pulls away.

I growl to myself as I stalk back down to my lair. What's so special about the Vicomte? He has long hair, is a complete slave to fashion as I said earlier, and there's really not anything that special about him! He is UGLY! Okay, maybe I shouldn't be talking, but STILL. And Anya, of all people! ANYA! I did not, did NOT, see that coming! She does not seem like the type to go for a man like the Vicomte! I mean my God! My God! This is impossible! There is no way...no way at all...my head is spinning. I'm never going up to the roof to clear my head again.

**THE NEXT DAY, ANYA POV**

The morning air wakes me up as I walk from a nice little cafe back to the Opera House. Last night, Daren, one of my new Rouge friends, invited me to breakfast there, and I accepted. He's actually from London and is here in Paris to become an artist and poet. He's planning on winning over Belle by New Year's Eve, much to my amusement. I gave him some tips-there is something seriously wrong with me-and he said he'd use them and tell me the results. I'm such a fool. Give advice when you yourself are lost in the same situation. That's seriously weird.

"Anya!" I turn and see Raoul driving his carriage up to the front of the opera house. I throw him a smile and run up to him as he stops his carriage and gets out. "Hey-" I notice the look on his face. _It appears my delivery was a success! _"Is something wrong?" "I'll tell you what's wrong!" he yells-sings-whispers as we stride up to the Opera House. "The managers sent me this note!" He thrusts it in my face. I point to it with a raised eyebrow. "Maybe it's not from them...?" "What makes you say so?" "Do you really think they'd use a skull seal?" Raoul sighs impatiently before we enter the main hall, where we see Firmin and Andre arguing.

"Where is she?" Raoul demands. "Who, Carlotta?" _Why would he want to know where that toad is? _"I mean Miss Daae, where is she?" "Well, how should we know?" "I want an answer! I take it that you sent me this note," Raoul sings as he and I head a bit up the stairs. "What's all this nonsense?" "Of course not!" "Don't look at us!" "She's not with you then?" "Of course not!" "We're in the dark!" Raoul holds up his hands. "Monsieur, don't argue. Isn't this the letter you wrote?" "And what is it that we're meant to have wrote-er, written?" Andre takes the note from him with a bewildered look on his face as I purse my lips trying not to burst out laughing. "Do not fear for Miss Daae. The Angel-" _Good God, the look on Andre's face should be a meme! _"-of Music has her under his wing. Make no attempt to see her again." That green light that's been appearing in my dreams ever since I got here pops over the note, flickers once, and then dies. "If you didn't write it, then who did?"

"Where is he?" In comes the walking raspberry (Carlotta). "Uh, welcome back!" Andre calls as Carlotta stalks in our direction. "Your precious patron, where is he?" _RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. _"What is it now?" Raoul groans/sings. "I got your letter, a letter which I rather resent!" I thank my lucky stars that Erik didn't sign MY name on it, seeing as the bad blood between the toad and I is pretty famous. "And did you send it?" Raoul looks at Firmin incredulously. "Of course not!" "You didn't send it?" "As if he would!" "Of course not!" "What's going on?" "You dare to tell me that this is not the letter you sent?" "And what is it that I am meant to have sent?" Raoul takes it out of the envelope and reads-

"Your days at the Opera Populaire are numbered." _If you keep being such a pain, Carlotta, Anya will number your days on Earth. _"Christine Daae-" Carlotta goes "Christine Daae!" and points to the managers with a weasel's look upon her face. "-will be singing on your behalf tonight-" Andre and Firmin's eyes widen and they exchange a freaked glance. "-be prepared for a great misfortune should you attempt to take her place." Carlotta closes her eyes and raises her hands, looking pissed. Firmin and Andre exchange another glance before quickly taking Carlotta's arms and going up the stairs as Raoul and I hang around on the landing. "Far too many notes for my taste! And most of them about Christine! All we've heard since we came is Miss Daae's name-" "Miss Daae has returned," Madame Giry calls. All of us turn to face her. "I hope no wore for wear as far as we're concerned." Andre asks, "Where precisely is she now?" Madame Giry answers, "I thought it best she was alone." Meg adds, "She needed rest." Raoul and I ask, "May I see her?" "No, she will she no one." Carlotta and Piangi exchange a look before exclaiming, "Will she sing? Will she sing?!" "Here-I have a note." "Let me see it!"_  
_

I'm the first one to reach Madame Giry and say, "Please," before unfolding it. Butterflies appear in my stomach, I'm getting a fangirl attack! _Calm yourself, woman!__ The show must go on! _My inner Harold Zidler yells as I read-"Gentlemen, I have now sent you several notes of the most amiable nature, detailing how my theatre is to be run. You have not followed my instructions. I shall give you one last chance..." I swear I hear Erik's voice overtaking mine as I read, trying my best to keep up the 'Wilting Flower' tone- _"Christine Daae has returned to you and I am anxious her career should progress. In the new production of Il Muto, you will therefore cast Carlotta as the pageboy and put Miss Daae in the role of Countess. The role which Miss Daae plays calls for charm and appeal; the role of the pageboy is silent, which makes my casting, in a word, ideal. I shall watch the performance from my normal seat in Box 5, which will be kept empty for me. Should these commands be ignored, a disaster beyond your imagination will occur. I remain, gentlemen, your obedient servant, O.G." _

Carlotta-holy crap, her face is redder than _blood-_fumes, "CHRISTINE!" Andre raises his arms. "Whatever next?!" "It's all a ploy to help Christine!" "This is insane!" Firmin groans. Carlotta whirls on Raoul and I. "I know who sent this-the Vicomte and his _cortigiana!" _Now, playing Satine for the past couple of months, I've learned how to say her, ah, _profession _in several different languages. And Italian is one of them. I take a deep breath, hold out my hands, tilt my head, and run through my options. I decide to give Carlotta a huge dose of _The Godfather _and _Tank Girl._

"Hey. Your sins are terrible. It is just that you suffer. Your life could be redeemed, but I know you don't believe that. You will not change. It's not personal, it's business. Oh yeah, and..." I start Bond walking down the stairs-curt and quick, yet suave and strutting. "Say it again-" I turn around and stare at her. "I will hit you so hard, your children will be born bruised!" Raoul nods approvingly before pretending he didn't. Just as I'm about to exit the big room, I yell-"Leave the gun, Carlotta. Take the cannoli!" before strutting around a corner and then running for my dear life. I purse my lips and think hard. What shall I do until it's rehearsal time? Meh, might as well visit my old friend.

I head down using my usual passage, whistling merrily. _The Godfather _is one of my favorite movies of all time, and my friends and I have loads of inside jokes having to do with it. I'm not a huge fan of _Tank Girl, _but I remembered during my fighting classes one of the boys yelling that out to his opponent and using it ever since. Soon I arrive at my destination. "Hey Erik!" I yell, waltzing in. He comes out of his room and smiles-it seems kind of forced, though. "I sent the notes," I say proudly. He chuckles. "From what I heard, I see you made a profound impact." I point to myself. "Me? Hell, I did nothing. In fact, _you_-" I slap his arm playfully "-gave me the excuse to go do what I've always wanted to since performing my play!" "Which is...?" "Go to the Rouge, of course!" Erik looks kind of pained before looking away from me and saying tightly, "I saw you." "Huh? Weren't you with Christine?" "I was on the roof for a bit. I saw you get out of the Vicomte's carriage." _Oh great, oh great! Wait. He's jealous? DON'T SQUEAL, DON'T SQUEAL! _"Erik..." Suddenly my urge to squeal like a hyper 12-year-old fangirl diminishes as I feel like exploding with laughter. "Are...are you jealous?" He huffs like a little kid and turns away from me as I ply. "C'moooooon..." I get an idea, smirk, and then say in my best Satine voice, "You can tell me-e-e~..." I see his back shiver and then stiffen before he says gruffly, "I don't want you spending your time with him." "Awww!" I pout. "Why not?" "Because." "WHY BECAUSE?! TELL MEEEEEEE!" "Why should I?"

"Because it concerns ME! And, even though it may be hard to believe, I GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOU! And if it hurts you, I'll stop, but I want a reason, and I want it NOW." Something in my tone says this crystal clear, and his shoulders slump in defeat. "I don't want you to forget me," he says tightly. "Oh..." I gasp, putting my hands on his shoulders as he slumps into his chair. _You trust me that little?_ I feel like I'm about to cry, and unfortunately as Erik turns, he notices, so I blink them away and put on a facade of Gatsby. "How can I? And I don't want to spend a lot of time with him. What, did you think I was in _love _with him or something?" Erik turns to me. "You mean..." "You thought..." "You're not..." I bite my lip, but I can't hold it in anymore!

I sink to the floor, laughing helplessly. I literally can't stop, tears are rolling down my face as Erik looks down on me with a mixed look of confusion and happiness. "Do you require assistance?" The way he says that-_he sounds like Spock!-_gets me sobbing and feeling like I'm going to die. Erik can't hold it in either, apparently, because he's doubled over laughing at me on his knees for a good 5 minutes before we both regain our footing. "Erik...why were you so worried?" He purses his lips before singing softly-

_I was dreaming of the past  
__And my heart was beating fast  
__I began to lose control, I began to lose control_

_I didn't mean to hurt you  
I'm sorry I made you cry  
Oh no, I didn't mean to hurt you...  
I'm just a jealous man_

_I was feeling insecure  
You may not lov-LIKE me anymore  
I was shivering inside, I was shivering inside..._

_Oh, I don't want to hurt you, I'm sorry that I made you cry  
Oh no, I didn't want to hurt you, I'm just a jealous man  
I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm sorry that I made you cry  
Oh no, I didn't want to hurt you, I'm just a jealous man  
_

_I was trying to catch your eyes  
Thought that you were trying to hide  
I was swallowing my pain, I was swallowing my pain..._

I purse my lips and look at him with pity before wrapping him in a hug. We let go faster than our first hug and stand around a little awkwardly before Erik clears his throat. "Anya, I have an offer for you..." "Listening!" "I would like to know if you would like to, ah, have _fun_ with Carlotta during tonight's Il Muto..." I squeal in spite of myself. "You're going to sabotage it?!" He smiles. "Oh no. _You, _Anya, my friend, will be sabotaging it. I only will give you the materials." My heart is beating rapidly before I hold out my hand. "Deal!" He grins as we shake on it. "You should get back, before they realize you're gone." "Yeah, I guess I should..." "Meet me backstage of the right wing during the opening act." I nod eagerly, and before I can even stop myself, I plant a solid kiss on his ear. _Oh crap! _And I run back the way I came, feeling oddly bubbly. Great, I'm turning into Christian! But...it feels...

_The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love, and be loved in return! _Inner Toulouse yells at me. I smile. Well, I'm in need of an educational experience...

**A/N: Done! That one took a long time to write. The next chapter is dedicated to all of my readers who like Michael Jackson. I'll have it up tomorrow, seeing as it's pre-written...anyway, please review! Thanks to you all!**


	8. Smooth Criminal

**A/N: Hey everyone! Like I said, I'd have the chapter up today. Remember what I said in the first chapter-"Lyrics will be changed"? Well, this is one of those chapters. Don't worry, it's only changed to fit the setting. Enjoy!**

**3RD PERSON**

The curtain rose, and Ace, Amelie, and Gaston ran up on stage and started singing. "They say that this youth has set my lady's heart aflame!" "His Lordship, sure, would die of shock, his Lordship is a laughing-stock!" Carlotta's maid set a bottle of throat spray on the table. Anya looked back at Erik. "Go on," he whispered, edging her forward. From the rafters, Buquet saw a thin, black-gloved hand attached to an arm with a black jacket exchange the throat spray for an identical bottle. But the hand was too small for the glove and the coat was too big, he could tell. Erik smiled as Anya gave him Carlotta's bottle, his coat, and his glove. "Not bad, for your first time," he whispered. "Thanks." "Go, before they realize you're gone." Anya complied, and soon she was standing backstage with Madame Giry and a couple of chorus people.

"Should he suspect her, God protect her! Shame! Shame! Shame!" "This faithless lady's bound for HADES!" _She kind of already is, _Anya thought in amusement. "Shame! Shame! Shame!" The curtains that were hiding the bed were drawn open, revealing Carlotta and Christine, much to everyone's laughter. "Serafimo, your disguise is perfect! Why, who can this be?" Piangi entered the stage, and Anya was struck with the thought of Zidler from _Moulin Rouge_ dressed in Piangi's costume (cauliflower wig and all), almost bursting out into laughter. "Gentle wife, please admit your loving husband!" He playfully nudged Meg with his cane, making her gasp as Christine started to pretend making the bed. "My love, I am called to England on affairs of state and must leave you with your new maid!" He wiggled Christine's butt jokingly, Anya smirked as the audience laughed, and Carlotta frowned, making Anya's smirk grow wider. "Though I'd happily take the maid, with me!" Carlotta fanned herself and announced, "The old fool is leaving!" making the audience crack up. Far up in their box, Andre and Firmin pointed out important people in the audience. "It's the Countess de Charbourg! She's invited us to her salon, you know." "Nothing like that ever happened to us in the junk business." _"Scrap metal."_

Christine ripped off the maid skirt and cap, making the audience laugh and the chorus+Meg gasp. Anya saw Raoul grinning in Box 5. "Serafimo, away with this pretense! You cannot speak, but kiss me in my husband's absence!" Carlotta snapped open the fan and she and Christine leaned to each other. Anya sniggered as she remembered what her friend Sebastian had yelled when they watched this part- "GET RID OF THE FAN! COME ON!" Piangi shook his fist as the audience clapped and laughed. "Poor fool, he makes me laugh! Haha, Haha... Time I tried to get a better, better half!" Erik headed out onto the balcony ringing the top of the theater. "Poor fool, he doesn't know! Hoho, Hoho...If he knew the truth, he'd never, ever go!" _"DID I NOT INSTRUCT...THAT BOX 5 WAS TO BE KEPT EMPTY?" _Anya put on a poker face as everyone gasped and looked around nervously. "He's here," Meg said nervously. "The Phantom of the Opera." Anya held her lips tight as she remembered what her friend Xander had screamed during this part- "NO SHAT, SHERLOCK!" "It's him," Christine said in fear.

Carlotta snapped her fan. "Your part is silent, little toad!" Anya sighed helplessly and rolled her eyes. "Is that her only insult?" "It appears so," Pierre responded. Anya mouthed along as Erik said, "A toad, madame? Perhaps it is you, who is the toad." "Why you always spray on my chin, huh?" Carlotta pouted as some of Erik's 'Magical Toad Elixir' (at least, that's what Anya called it) was sprayed into her mouth.

"Maestro, da capo, por favore." Anya smirked and waited in anticipation. "You cannot speak, but kiss me in my, my-" _CROAK! _Anya couldn't help but feel a surge of pride for helping to make Carlotta's malfunction happen as the audience went crazy. She remembered what Piper had said- "Kiss you in your _what now_?" Carlotta tried to sing several more times, but ended up sounding like an extremely wasted toad. Anya, Pierre, and Leonardo were practically rolling around on the floor laughing their heads off, right along with the drunk stagehands. "Mother!" Carlotta wailed as the curtain began to close while audience and actors alike roared with laughter.

Reyer told him to get off the stage, then Andre and Firmin got on. Firmin announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize. Er, the performance will continue in ten minutes' time..." He reached behind the curtain and brought Christine up. "When the role of the Countess will be played by Miss Daae." The audience applauded and Firmin whispered to Christine to get ready, so she ran off the stage and met with Madame Giry to change into her costume.

Andre said to the audience, "Meanwhile, ladies and gentlemen, we shall be giving you the ballet from Act III of tonight's opera." Reyer looked up and hissed, "What?" Andre stammered in a panicked tone, "Er, maestro...the-the-the ballet, bring it forward, please! THE BALLET!" The audience lost it again. Anya pursed her lips and remembered what would happen in only a few minutes. _They won't be laughing then._ Reyer and the musicians quickly got the music ready and Firmin said before leaving the stage with Andre, "Thank you." As the curtain opened, the stagehands and the cast were running around getting things ready in a rush. Some of the dancers weren't dressed, but quickly ran away to get in costume, and the audience laughed again.

Through all the flurry, Anya quietly made her exit. She knew the show would stop in about...2-5 minutes. _And thank God, this wig is annoying! _She slowly took it off and, after a brief pause, started heading for the rafters, just as some of the girls brought in sheep. In another room, Christine picked up a red rose with a black ribbon on it, a look of fright on her face.

Anya soon came to a room with the door slightly ajar. She pursed her lips and looked around. At the same time, Erik watched Buquet watching the ballet girls with interest, hand tight on his punjab lasso. He noticed that his favorite American wasn't where she had been when he'd last looked, but didn't worry. However, the very girl on his mind opened the door and was met on the highest set of rafters by a bunch of mice and spiders. They regarded each other for a moment, and then Anya reached for a flash of gold on the floor. The animals all seemed to flinch. Anya picked up the prop coin-from _Hannibal, _she assumed-and flipped it toward an old statue with its mouth slightly open. As the coin landed squarely inside the mouth, Erik ducked out of sight and Anya struck a pose. The mice and spiders scattered out of her way and she started strutting down the wooden plank-

_Ou! As he came into the rafters, there was the sight of, unsuspicious actors_

_The man came above for his friend's sake, left chaos in his wake_

_The other guy climbed up the ropes, you could see he was the leader of dopes_

_So he ran into the masked man, up there he loomed_

_He was struck down, it was his doom!_

Buquet wandered up and down the rafters, looking around in fright. Anya gave him the finger from above as she watched Erik start to make his move.

_Buquet are you OK_

_So, Buquet are you OK_

_Are you OK, Buquet_

_Buquet are you OK_

_So, Buquet are you OK_

_Are you OK, Buquet? _The drunk stagehand turned around and was met by a very pissed-off looking Erik. "Oh-Ah!" he exclaimed as he started running down the plank. _Sweet karma! _Anya smirked, putting her hands on the ropes so she could lean over and get a better view.

_Buquet are you OK_

_Will you tell me, you're not okay_

_There was a man in the rafters, for his friend's sake, chaos in his wake_

_You climbed up the ropes, you really are the leader of dopes_

_So you ran into the masked man, up there he loomed_

_You were struck down, it was your doom!_

Anya retreated just so she could still see but was hidden in the shadows as Erik grabbed two ropes and climbed up. _He climbs ropes?...he's a genius yet very gymnastic...hmm..._ Far below, two of the girls were having trouble with the sheep as the audience chuckled merrily. Anya kept singing softly but aggressively as the two men met on opposite rafters.

_Buquet are you OK_

_So, Buquet are you OK_

_Are you OK, Buquet_

_Buquet are you OK_

_So, Buquet are you OK_

_Are you OK, Buquet? _

_You've been hit by, you've been struck by_

_A smooth criminal!_

_So they came to see the play _

_It was Monday, what a black day_

_Everyone was filled with elation_

_Sounding heartbeats, intimidation_

As Buquet tried to run farther up, Erik grabbed another rope and started climbing. The ballet girls danced innocently, completely unaware of what was happening above. Erik got behind Buquet on the single plank and shook it-"Ah!"-making the man fall so his head was hanging over the edge. Anya smirked, reached into her pocket, and took out the pistol. She didn't know whether or not it shot blanks, but it would have to do. _VIVA LA PHANTOM! _she cheered internally.

_Buquet are you OK_

_So, Buquet are you OK_

_Are you OK, Buquet_

_Buquet are you OK_

_So, Buquet are you OK_

_Are you OK, Buquet_

_Buquet are you OK_

_Will you tell me, you're not okay_

_There was a man in the rafters, for his friend's sake, chaos in his wake_

_You climbed up the ropes, you really are the leader of dopes_

_So you ran into the masked man, up there he loomed_

_You were struck down, it was your doom!_

_Buquet are you OK_

_So, Buquet are you OK_

_Are you OK, Buquet_

_Buquet are you OK_

_So, Buquet are you OK_

_Are you OK, Buquet? _

_You've been hit by, you've been struck by_

_A smooth criminal!_

Erik got out his punjab lasso and began to choke Buquet as Anya started heading backwards, the pistol poised in the air. _"OKAY, I WANT ALL THE BALLET GIRLS TO CLEAR THE STAGE, RIGHT NOW!"_ she hissed as she saw the girls start twirling. Buquet gagged and clawed at the rope at his throat as Erik remained nonchalant. He saw the gray-eyed actress above him and tore his gaze away from Erik in shock. Anya stuck out her tongue as Erik looked up and saw her. "You've been hit by, you've been struck by...a smooth criminal!" She whispered as Buquet went limp. Erik then got up and looked at the girl in wonder. _Nice, _she mouthed. _Now drop him! _Erik complied, and as Buquet dropped and hung by the hand of the Phantom, a gunshot rang out while everyone screamed bloody murder. Anya took off and ran down the stairs and rafters as fast she humanly could, yanking on her wig in the process. In 45 seconds flat, she had reached the stage with a look of horror on her face, the pistol safely hidden where nobody would dare to ever look. After spending a few moments 'fretting' onstage, she escaped and ran into Raoul. "Are you alright?" Anya put on her 'traumatized Satine' face and nodded weakly. "If you're looking for Christine, she should be with Madame Giry in Carlotta's dressing room." "Thank you!" Raoul responded, running off.

Anya headed to the dorms, keeping the traumatized look on her face for the people she ran into. Once there, she calmly changed out of her costume, wiped the white powder off her face, and got into a light pink dress and her combat boots. _What to do now? _The green light suddenly shone in her face. "Ah!" Anya stumbled back. The light glinted once before it started to move away from her. The actress followed it until it started going up a flight of stairs. Anya frowned and then remembered what-no, _who_ was up there. The light blinked twice before disappearing, and Anya tiptoed up the wooden steps, being careful not to make a single sound as she opened the door and hid herself behind a statue.

**A/N: GAAAAAAAAAH I KNOW THE PARODY SUCKS. Anyway, I got the idea for this chapter one day while watching the Smooth Criminal music video. At one point, it sounded like Michael had said, "Anya are you okay, are you okay Anya?" After that, I muted the video of the ballet sequence (found on the Youtube channel phantomoftheopera) and just put on Smooth Criminal at the 1:50 mark. It doesn't work for the first 10 or 11 seconds, but after that it actually works pretty darn well. Thanks for reading, and please review!**


	9. You Only Live Twice-Nature Girl

**A/N: I figured out that I owe you all some fluff, so...I'll attempt at writing some. It's my first time EVER writing attempted fluff, so please go easy on me! I do not own All I Ask Of You (reprise), You Only Live Twice, and Nature Boy (changed to girl for obvious reasons).**

**ANYA POV**

I hear Erik sing, his voice filled with pain- "I gave you my music...made your song take wing...and now, how you repay me?...deny me, and betray me...He was born to love you...when he heard you sing...Christine..." This was one of the few parts my friends and I simply started crying instead of riffing this scene. The first time I saw this scene, I'll be frank, I bawled like a freaking baby. During the 'host segment' that we had (in homage to MST3K) after this scene, we threw darts at a picture of Christine. Erik can't go on as he starts crushing the rose as we hear Raoul and Christine sing to each other from far off. Something makes Erik snap, and he runs up to the corner/edge of the roof.

"YOU WILL CURSE THE DAY YOU DID NOT DO, ALL THE PHANTOM ASKED OF YOU!" He holds the note and almost looks like he's gonna jump off. I fall to my knees and quickly gather up some snow and roll it into a ball, aiming, and throwing. The snowball hits him square in the back of the head as I duck behind the statue, hold myself to it, and try not to crack up.

I hear some swearing and Erik turning around several times to see who threw it. I purse my lips before coming out the other way. "It's me," I say quietly. He turns, looking slightly annoyed and relieved at the same time. "Why did you do that? Couldn't you just call out to me?" "That's what _normal _people do, like Raoul." I reply, walking up to him. The sight of his eyes-red and puffy-makes me drop my demeanor. "Oh...oh, sorry." "It's...it's all right." We stand there a little awkwardly before he starts attempting not to cry. I put my hands on his shoulders and pause. I'm not really that good at comforting people. But I try. "Hey, just be glad it isn't going to be worse." "How would it possibly be worse?" _You would have nobody to comfort you. _"She didn't lead you on. She never pretended to love you." _He has to know...that she never loved him_**(GUESS THE REFERENCE!)**. "I suppose..." I sigh. If we keep going at this rate, he'll never, ever know about what I think. But right now he needs someone, so I wrap my arms around him and sing-

_You only live twice, or so it seems  
__One life for yourself and one for your dreams_

_You drift through the years and life seems tame  
Till one dream appears, and love is its name_

I release him and wander to the edge of the roof. I sit so I'm looking out on the lights of Paris. I raise my face to the sky. Erik must know. I kissed him today, goddammit! Now, I've gotta tell him to stop wasting his time by chasing what's far beyond his reach and spend his allotted time with someone who actually likes him while comforting him at the same time.

_And love is a stranger who'll beckon you on  
__Don't think of the danger or the stranger is gone_

_This dream is for you, so pay the price  
Make one dream come true, you only live twice_

For some odd reason, as I stare into the empty street, I see the ground suddenly turn red, like it was my first day here. A sharp pain suddenly goes through my stomach, and I wince and grab it. My green orb pops up in front of my face again, and as it starts to float away, I reach out my arm to it as I sing-

_And love is a stranger who'll beckon you on  
__Don't think of the danger or the stranger is gone_

_This dream is for you, so pay the price  
Make one dream come true, you only live twice..._

As I turn back around, Erik smiles at me sadly. "Anya?" "Yes?" "Tell me...what...what do you think of love?" I feel tears well up in my eyes. _WHY IS EVERYONE ASKING ME FOR ADVICE IN THIS? _I turn my head away from him violently, blinking rapidly. "Love! The reason I dislike that word is that it means too much for me, far more than you can understand. Besides...Is it really possible to tell someone else what one feels?"**(TOLSTOY FOR THE WIN!)** "It is," Erik's voice says, and I hear him come up behind me. "You don't believe in love?" "I do, it's just..." I try to form the words, but I can't. I throw my arms up in the air. "Okay. You know what? I have two opinions on love." "What are they?"

"I think...that if it is true that there are as many minds as there are heads, then there as many loves as there are hearts." **(Why am I going all Tolstoy, you may ask? Reading Anna Karenina at the moment.) **"And what is your other opinion?" he asks. I sing in a whispery, high voice, "The greatest thing...you'll ever...learn...is just...to love...and be loved...in return..." "Do you ever think I'll learn that?" I look at him sadly. "You're halfway there," I say, and then instantly regret it. "R-really?" "W-well, you loved Christine, right? S-so you loved!" "I suppose I did..." I sit and he stands a little awkwardly. "Why did you kill Buquet?" I ask, trying to break the silence. "He knew too much." "But why did you get up right behind him? You could've just thrown your lasso and strangled him from behind." Erik takes out another punjab lasso thoughtfully. "But he could have yelled out and attracted attention." "...you just wanted to savor the moment." His eyes shift before he nods grudgingly. "And I needed to tighten the noose." Suddenly, the sight of him holding the lasso gives me an idea. A wonderful, nearly flawless idea. A chance to spend more time with Erik...let Operation Satine commence!

"Hey, Erik..." I say in my best 'bright and bubbly' voice.

"Yes?"

"Please, can you teach me?" I point innocently to his lasso and pout. _Please,_ _pleeeeeeeease..._

**ERIK POV**

Anya's request sets on a spiral of memories-being brought here, killing my so-called 'Keeper' (with my first lasso), and then escaping here into my opera house. Anya should not be corrupted into my way of killing. Then again, her ability to block my attack when we first met and how she was able to stop Carlotta from slapping her without even turning around tells me she already is...'violently corrupted', if you will. I laugh though, to disguise my surprise. "And what will you give me?" Anya smiles brightly and twirls around. "Anything! Anything you want!"

I pause, completely blown away. Nobody has ever said that to me willingly. But I shouldn't ask her for anything. She is-my _friend. _My only friend in my cold, lonely, dark world. She has done enough for me by simply being there for me. Anya deserves more than I can give, and here she is asking _ME _what I want. "Anya, you've done enough for me..." "No I haven't! I haven't done anything!" "I've got you excited now, what do you see in learning to kill?" She groans and stomps her foot. "Erik, I want to give you something! Just name it! Anything!" I pause. Something tells me she is not going to give up. "Anything?" I ask doubtfully. She nods eagerly. "Anything!" I close my eyes and take a deep breath. _Pick something even she would not give you. Something that nobody has given you, and probably never will. She has done enough. _I open my mouth, ready to say _acceptance, _but instead I foolishly blurt out-_  
_

"A real kiss!"

**ANYA POV**

I feel my face drain of all color. Did he just...wow. Damn. Either way, I can tell that he didn't mean to say that as he starts mumbling incoherently and turns from me. I just stand here like an idiot. Wow. _What is wrong with you?! _Inner Satine screams. _This is better than expected! Give it to him! GET SOME! _I take a deep breath, and remember having to kiss my best friend for the _Moulin Rouge _play-the kiss at the end of _Elephant Love Medley. _I close my eyes before walking quickly and surely in his direction. When I'm right behind him-and I mean, almost invading his personal space right behind him-I bite my lip and tap him on the shoulder. _No regrets, no remorse, that's how I live. _He turns, and when he's fully facing me, I throw my arms around his neck Satine style (crossed, my hands not touching) and give him one helluva run for his money-the best 'Moulin kiss' (as my castmates call it) I can do. He's not moving at all. Poor guy, he doesn't even know how to respond when a chick kisses him.

I let go, open my eyes, and shove him playfully, and he falls onto his back, his eyes huge and his mouth hanging open. I put on a poker face and walk casually towards the door, even though I'm squealing like a PIG on the inside. Before I open the door, I turn back to look at him. Much to my amusement, he's now propped on his elbows with the same gobsmacked look on his face. I smile brightly. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?" He nods dumbly. I open the door and say smilingly, "Oh, and you _might_ wanna wipe that off your mouth. Just _might. _Goodnight, _Ācaikkuriyavar_." I start whistling _All I Care About (Is Love) _from _Chicago! _as I shut the door behind me and stroll back to the dorms. Operation Satine has been proven to be quite successful...

**ERIK POV**

Oh.

My.

God.

WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?

I sit here gawping like an idiot the way Anya left. She did it! She ACTUALLY DID IT! I can't believe it...one thing I thought I knew she'd NEVER, EVER give me, and...she overdid it. I mean, COMPLETELY went overboard. I...I don't know what to say. Or think. Or do. I touch my mouth, which still feels as warm as it did when Anya was kissing me. And wipe WHAT off? I stand up, dazed, and before I know it, I've somehow gotten back to my underground lair, my face in the same expression as it was as Anya left. I take out a fresh sheet of parchment, and before I know it, I realize I'm drawing Anya.

_There was a girl  
__A very strange enchanted girl  
__They say she wandered very far  
__Very far..._

I suddenly feel extremely regretful. I did not respond, and even though Anya looked like she truly did not mind, I feel bad for not doing anything. Yet again, she's given more than I ever can.

_Over land and sea...  
__Not the least bit shy, diamond eyes  
__But very wise was she  
__And then one day_

_One magic day, she passed my way  
And though we spoke of many things  
Fools and kings  
This she said to me..._

I pause my singing and begin to draw her eyes for a few moments. However, what comes out is not what I intended. Something in the shape of a diamond is reflected in both eyes. That seems more right than what I was attempting to look for, so I leave them as they are.

_The greatest thing  
__You'll ever learn  
__Is just to love, and be loved  
__IN RETURN!_

I sigh as I finish my work. For a moment, the drawing of Anya seems to wink at me, but I know that's not happening. _Oh, and you might wanna wipe that off your mouth. _"Wipe WHAT?" I say aloud, heading for my mirror on the desk. My eyes widen as I see my reflection. "Very funny, Anya," I sigh as I take a handkerchief and wipe the blood-red imprint on my mouth. I almost hear her giggling echoing through the tunnels as I go to my bedroom and attempt to fall asleep.

_It's late, you're tired, _I think to myself, but I smile in spite of my efforts. For a while I lay here with wide-open eyes, and I think I myself can see in my dark, lonely world. **(Inspired after the last paragraph in Anna Karenina, page 255.)**

**A/N: Wow. I cannot write fluff. Anyway, I do not own Anna Karenina, seeing as I am not Leo Tolstoy (dammit!) and I do not own All I Care About (Is Love). Just warning you though, if you consider this good fluff, don't expect a lot in the upcoming chapters. BUT THERE SHALL STILL BE FLUFF. Thanks for beta-reading, TammerTime! Guys, now 3 reviews=an update.**

**Thanks for reading, everybody, and please review! Bye!**


	10. Emeraldeye - A-Team

**A/N: Yo! Sorry everyone, school's dragging me away from this fic. Here's chapter 10, I hope you guys like it. I'm on a huge James Bond kick (SKYFALL WAS AMAZING), which explains why I'm now using a bunch of Bond songs. Anyway, enjoy. I do not own Goldeneye (changed to Greeneye), The Spy Who Survived, Nine In The Afternoon or A-Team. Oh, and what _Ācaikkuriyavar _means? It's translated into 'darling' in Tamil. **

**NEXT DAY, 3RD PERSON POV**

Throughout the post-performance flurry, Anya slipped away in the direction of her dressing room to get ready for her first Punjab lesson. The performance of _Il Muto _had been one huge success, and Anya couldn't help but feel exhilarated as she had taken her bow with the rest of the cast. One part told her that it was simply because she always had that feeling after putting on a show, but the majority screamed out the truth for her whole being to hear-her Christian part had completely taken over, with Satine helping out with dealing with Erik.

"Anya!" She turned. Christine was running towards her with a suitcase, Raoul following. Anya put on a smile and gave Christine a hug. "You were amazing!" she cheered. Christine smiled. "And you too!" Raoul reached them and smiled at Anya. "You were very good, Anya." She laughed. "How long'll you two be gone?" They were heading out to Raoul's estate. "Two weeks until New Year's Eve," Christine said warmly. Anya cheered internally. MORE TIME WITH ERIK! "I'm gonna miss you!" "Maybe you could come over in a couple of days for a day visit," Raoul suggests. She laughed. "Maybe. You can write me if you want." They laughed and nodded. Anya exchanged final goodbyes before they headed off and she ran for her room.

Anya wiped the powder off her face, yanked off the wig, and then considered her options while fussing over her hair. She then took off her costume and changed into a high-waisted dress with an intricate gold and black top and dark brown skirt, giddy and nervous all at once. After she was ready, Anya took a deep breath and stared into the mirror.

_You can do this! _Every last little bit of her heart yelled. She closed her eyes. _Should I come up with a plan? __Screw it!_ Anya slammed her hands on the table and stood up from doing her makeup with a bang. _I don't do plans! _She grinned at herself confidently before banging out of her dressing room and walking quickly and surely in the direction of _her _passageway. To calm her nerves, Anya started singing-

_Out on the old moors_  
_The clouds gather round_  
_A memory gold, pure_  
_In grand barren ground_

_You'll make a stand_  
_A life in your hands_

_When the betrayed come_  
_To rip out your secret_  
_Reputation_  
_No zeroes can keep it _

Anya hopped from one foot to the other, nervous as hell. Now that she thought about it, when she was a student at Julliard, they had a unit where the students would learn about different tactics to get what their character wanted and how to employ them to make them look real. Anya had done fairly well in the unit, but her best tactic that had gotten her teased good-naturedly about and acclaimed for was making men fall for her. So why was she so nervous? _Breathe! Breathe! You got this! _Inner Satine cheered.

Too soon, she arrived at her destination. _Play innocent. Like that kiss was just a normal thing. Like it was a kiss during Spin the Bottle at a nightclub. Go...innocently irresistible. _"Erik?" Anya called, looking around and walking around a little bit. Hiding behind a curtain, Erik smirked. The first part of his test for Anya-her skill in the element of surprise. Even though she'd blocked his attack when they'd first met, at least this time Erik was prepared.

After wandering around for a little, Anya started to suspect that Erik was just lying in wait for her to do something stupid. She was right, because her friend was indeed about 2 feet behind her, lasso out, a smile on his face despite himself. _Turn around, turn around..._Erik prayed silently. Anya heard the sound of breathing behind her, barely there, so she turned around quizzically, and when Erik caught sight of her eyes, he threw the lasso as she said "Erik-GAH!"

Anya did not expect the lasso thrown around her, but Erik had miscalculated in measuring the noose. He had intended for it to fit squarely around Anya's neck, but it instead slipped around her waist. Erik pulled her towards him, not noticing that he had got the rope around her waist until he noticed her screaming in Russian and Tamil/giggling face didn't have a rope around it. Erik laughed good-naturedly and took a few steps back, dragging the laughing Anya-who was now about a foot away from him-before letting go suddenly.

The gray-eyed girl yelped and stumbled forward, unprepared for the sudden release of being pulled. Anya then proceeded to trip over her own feet, football tackle Erik, throwing her arms around him, and then land sprawled on the floor with him, laughing her head off. Her victim, on the other hand, was quite flustered and brain dead. Not as much as the night before-Erik shook his head in confusion and to get the memory out of his head _(NO! She didn't mean it. Do not get attached)._

Anya wiped the tears from her face, got to her knees, and lifted the lasso up and over her head. She dropped it and offered her hand to a slightly-less flustered Erik with a forgiving little smile. After a moment, Erik took it. "Well, you certainly know how to greet someone," Anya said once he was standing up. "It was a test." Anya raised an eyebrow. "A test? Of what? The laws of physics?" "The laws of what?" Anya blinked and remembered that science wasn't that advanced back in 1871. "Sorry, just a little something from 2012. What was it a test of?" "You and being surprised. We need to work on that." "Well, I didn't have my guard up, mind you." "Why not?" "I'm comfortable enough with you." _No! No, dammit! Why'd you say THAT? _Erik stiffened. _She doesn't love you like that. Stop misinterpreting how she acts! _"Well, Anya," Erik said, putting on a facade of a wise teacher, "keeping your guard up is one of the first steps of learning how to kill with nothing but your hands and a rope..."

**HALF AN HOUR LATER, ANYA POV**

I close my eyes and let the feeling that I always got during my classes run through me. My eyes shoot open, and I throw the rope. It lands squarely around the sphere and cylinder that is supposed to represent my victim, and then I pull the rope towards me, like Erik did when he caught me, causing the sphere and cylinder to tumble. I look at aforementioned Phantom for feedback. He nods slowly. "Very good, for your first lesson." I smile and hand him back his rope. "Thank you. Thanks so much!" He smiles back. "It's my pleasure, Anya." I start walking back away in the direction of my passageway. "I'll see you here, tomorrow, same time?" I ask. "Yes. Goodnight, Anya." "Goodnight, _krasivyy.__" _I call before I can stop myself. My eyes widen and I feel myself stiffen as I walk mechanically away. DAMN! DAMN! Even though he doesn't know what 'krasivyy' means...GAHHHH! SO STUPID! SO INCREDIBLY STUPID! Hot shame rises in my cheeks as I exit the passageway and head out into the street. I pause. Mm, maybe I shall drown my stupidness in a green bottle while dancing around like a fool at my new favorite nightclub. I head in the direction of Montmartre, humming under my breath. I hit a deserted street and look around.

_See reflections on the water  
More than darkness in the depths  
See him surface in every shadow  
On the wind I feel his breath _

It's true, Erik is honestly starting to take over my thoughts. He seems everywhere. Last night, I had my green light dream again, but for a fleeting second, I saw inside my light. And I saw dark green eyes staring back at me. Just on cue, that light shines in front of my face again. I attempt to look inside, but it's too bright for me to see anything. It starts floating in the direction I was walking, so I follow it and sing-

_Emeraldeye I found his weakness  
Emeraldeye he'll do what I please  
Emeraldeye no time for sweetness  
But a bitter kiss will bring him to his knees!_

I twirl around one corner as the light keeps beating on, steady against the night. I believe in this thing. It holds a secret that I know is going to help me here. There is something inside the light, but it won't let me touch it unless I follow it long enough.

_You'll never know how I watched you  
In the movies as a child  
But you know how it feels to be the one  
Who's left behind  
I'll never know the days, the nights,  
the tears, the tears you've cried  
But now my time has come  
And time, time is now on my side! _

I stop singing and simply run, beating endlessly with my light against the dark backdrop of a city at rest. For a moment I see a black shadow in my light, but it's gone as I blink. I enter Carlotta's neighborhood and keep running.

_See him move through smoke and mirrors  
Feel his presence in the crowd  
Other girls they stay so they're not around him  
If I had him I wouldn't let him out_

_Emeraldeye not lace or leather_  
_Diamond chains take him to the spot_  
_Emeraldeye I'll show him forever_  
_It'll take forever to see what I've got_

I hit my destination and run through the familiar streets to my favorite nightclub, mouthing the last part of the song as I dodge people-

_You'll never know how I watched you  
In the movies as a child  
But you know how it feels to be the one  
who's left behind  
I'll never know the days, the nights,  
the tears, the tears you've cried  
But now my time has come  
And time, time is now on my_ side!

As I yell out the last part, my green orb shoots up into the sky, briefly touching the top of the red windmill, before disappearing among the stars. I smile before stomping inside. My friends are at their usual table, and as I plop myself down and they all greet me with shining, happy faces, I think hard. Why was I so ashamed? I don't like this feeling of shame. I don't like it at all!

"Yes, may I have a bottle of _Chateau Cormeil-Figine?" _When I get it, I pop open the cork and down half of it. _WHAT shame? What remorse?_

**2 HOURS LATER, ERIK POV **

I sit here at my desk, lost in thought. About Anya. Something is wrong with her. She's so natural around me. She has no fear, no repulsion, no hatred towards me at all. This is new for me. Sometimes, however, she looks at me so sadly, but I do not think it is for me. I am doing something to upset her, that I can tell. I must make a point of asking her about it the next time I see her.

The sound of stumbling and a mumbling voice hits my ears. I stand up, punjab lasso in my hand, looking around wildly before I hear a loud _hiccup _from Anya's passageway. I turn around and drop my lasso. Anya leans against the wall, one hand behind her back, the other holding her up rather unsteadily against the wall. Something is very, very wrong. Her gray eyes are wide and glassy. "Anya...? Are you alright?" She lets go of the wall and sways her way in my direction. "_Daaaaaaaaaa, _I'm purrrrr-feeeect, baby!" My eyes widen as the hand she was holding behind her back comes out. A half-empty green bottle. "Anya, are you _drunk?" _She giggles wildly as she stumbles over her feet several times before getting over to me, and I hold her as she sways back and forth. "Sweetie, I had, I had, a shot of vodka, that's allllllll FOLKS! GOOD NIGHT MR. PRESIDENT!" she giggles, hopping up and down unsteadily. I roll my eyes and shake my head. What do I do with her? "Anya-" I say gently before she bursts into song-

_Back to the street where we began!  
Feeling as good as lovers can, you know!  
Yeah we're feeling so good!  
Pickin' up things we shouldn't read!  
It looks like the end of history as we know!  
It's just the end of the world!_

_And your eyes are the size of the moon!_  
_You could 'cause you can so you do!_  
_We're feeling so good, j__ust the way that we do!_  
_When it's nine in the afternoon!_

At this point, she hiccups, "So glad you came! So glad you came!" before nearly falling flat on her face. I catch her. "Anya, just, please, calm down and listen to me-" Anya sways a little more before lifting the bottle again to her lips and drinking so there's only a thin layer of liquid on the bottom. I pry the bottle out of her hands. "Can you stand?" "Yessssssh..." I let her go and quickly place the bottle on my desk. When I turn around again, the happy glow that was upon Anya's face is gone, now she's pouting and tears are starting to stream down her face. _What now? _I grab her shoulders. "Anya, what's the matter?" She closes her eyes tightly before screaming, _"YA LYUBLYU TEBYA!" _"What does that mea-MMMPH!"

I can taste the wine on her breath as her arms slide around my neck like last night. Anya is drunk, Erik! She is drunk, but what should I do? Unfortunately, my instincts seem to be against me. Because I do not push her back or simply stand here.

I, the Devil's Child, take advantage of my only friend in the world, who happens to be drunk. I kiss her right back. I can't let go. I want to, I try, but I can't. However, she saves herself. I feel her arms go slack, and I open my eyes just in time to catch her from hitting her head on the marble floor. Her eyes are closed and she still has this stupid little smirk on her face. I pick her up and carry her to my room. I deserve to sleep on the floor for taking advantage of the ONE PERSON who actually likes me while she was drunk. I set her down on my bed, and then take out a sheet of parchment. Anya looks so peaceful when she is asleep. Not like she was a few moments ago. This look of true, inner peace-I need to capture it.

_Red lips, pale face  
Breathing in snowflakes  
Fresh lungs, sour taste  
Light's gone, day's end  
Doing things she never meant  
Long nights, new wines_

And she says  
She's in the Class A Team  
Stuck in her daydream  
Been this way since 18

I think of the weary, sad looks Anya has been giving me lately, making my already remorseful mood worse. She didn't deserve it. _She started it! _Yes...but...SHE'S DRUNK! _What about last night? _She just did it because I accidentally asked her to. No other reason, no, not at all.

_But lately her eyes seem  
Slowly sinking, wasting  
Crumbling like pastries  
And they scream, the worst things in life come free to us, because we're just under the upper hand  
And go mad for a couple of francs, and she doesn't want to go outside tonight  
And in her world she plays a girl who dreams to fly to another land, but sells love to a strange man  
It's too cold outside, for angels to fly  
__Angels to fly_

I pause and look at my drawing. Anya, thankfully, hasn't moved except for the fact that I can see her breathing. A smile creeps onto her face, and I chuckle a bit before attempting to capture it. Instead, it turns into one of her smirks. I sigh and just keep drawing.

_But lately her eyes seem  
Slowly sinking, wasting  
Crumbling like pastries  
And they scream, the worst things in life come free to us, because we're just under the upper hand  
And go mad for a couple of francs, and she doesn't want to go outside tonight  
And in her world she plays a girl who dreams to fly to another land, but sells love to a strange man  
It's too cold outside, for angels to fly  
__Angels to fly__  
Fly, fly  
For angels to fly  
To fly, to fly  
Or angels to die! _

I blink. DIE? Where did THAT come from? I sigh and leave Anya asleep. I suppose I'll interrogate her tomorrow. An odd, bubbly feeling comes over me, but I shake it off. _She will tell tomorrow. She must. _

**A/N: Now, some translations for you guys. _Krasivyy _in Russian means 'handsome', and _YA LYUBLYU TEBYA _translates into 'I love you.' I hope you guys liked this! Next chapter will be up sooner, I promise.**


	11. You're My Best Friend-In Spite Of Me

**A/N: 'Ello loves! I hope you guys all had a nice Thanksgiving. Anyways, You're My Best Friend belongs to the awesomeness that is Queen, and In Spite of Me belongs to Morphine. As to why I haven't updated recently, here's my explanation-  
TheSyndicateProject (I love his Minecraft commentaries!) School, and Procrastination.**

**ANYA POV**

The pounding of my head slowly wakes me up. _Now I remember why I swore with everyone, after my train-wreck of a 21st b-day, not to drink for a month. _Unfortunately, the first thing to greet me is what tastes like something got shot in the stomach and died a very painful, bloody death in my mouth. The memories slither in my mind-the last thing that I can think about before my head explodes is goose-stepping back to the Opera House while singing _Springtime for Hitler. _I sigh and open my eyes.

I find myself face-to-face with a possessed monkey and open my mouth to scream bloody murder, but I catch myself. Wait...the only place I know with a possessed monkey...AW DAMMIT! NO WAY! NOT DRINKING FOR A LONG, LONG TIME! I groan/scream silently and zoom out to get a better look at my surroundings. Yep, I'm in Erik's room. Man, this is awkward.

I swing myself out of the swan bed and head outside, holding my pulsing head with one hand and using the other to brush against the walls so I don't end up falling on my face. Once I'm outside, I look around and see Erik at his organ, making every hope of sneaking out dashed. I open my mouth to call out, but he begins banging on his organ, and before I know it, I'm kneeling on the floor with both hands clasped around my wildly vibrating head as I scream my head off. The banging stops immediately, but my head still echoes it. Footsteps approach and I feel Erik's hands squeeze my shoulders comfortingly while whispering something in French. I swallow with dread and raise my head slowly to have green eyes meet gray.

"H-hey..." I say weakly. Erik smiles a little. "Hungover?" "Shut up," I grumble while he sniggers. "How did I get here?" His eyes melt a little. "You...don't remember?" I sigh and close my eyes. Yep, the last thing I remember is singing _Springtime for Hitler. _"No, sorry, the last thing I remember is singing a song in the street that would have me infamous in 2012." Erik smirks. "Well, you somehow got down here by means of your passageway, drunker than even Buquet-" I groan and let my head flop into my hands as he slowly lets go of my shoulders. "-singing about how it was...nine in the afternoon?" Great. If I was singing _Nine in the Afternoon, _I must've been extremely drunk. I love P!ATD, don't get me wrong, but I never sing that unless I'm rip-roaring WASTED. And I mean, the last time I sang that was during my 21st birthday. Figure out the rest.

"And then?" Erik opens his mouth to say something but can't seem to find the words. Dread fills my face as I ask, "Oh God, I didn't do anything, did I?" He shakes his head violently. I look at him quizzically before pointing out, "What's that red on your fa-" My eyes widen as he hurriedly attempts to wipe if off his mouth "OH SHI-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" I babble. "Anya..." I wince. "What does 'ya lyublyu tebya' mean?" At this point, I might as well just shoot myself in the head with red hot shame in my face. I turn from him and freeze at what I see-a woman almost identical to me, except she has blue eyes, is in a long white dress, and is clearly older. _Now you've blown it, _she scolds. _He now thinks you're a sleazeball. And Erik doesn't like sleazeball women. They're not his TYPE! _"I know, Satine, shut up. Don't you have to go sing or something?" I reply. Erik looks at me oddly. "Satine? Who is Satine?" I turn my head again, but Satine is gone. I tip my head and murmur, "Nothing, Erik, it's nothing. Just a random jumble of words." He looks at me disbelievingly. "Just-just stay here," he gestures at me before heading off around a corner. I close my eyes and let out a sigh. Satine is right. Well, at least I didn't do something extremely stupid and could never show my face on the streets of Paris again.

_Hey, old sport,_ an unfamiliar voice says, putting a hand on my shoulder. I open my eyes and find myself looking up at a cute young man in a stylish white suit that looks like it came straight out of the 1920s. He kneels before me and gives me a suave white grin that I can't help but return. He gestures to where Satine was standing. _Don't let her get you down. There's always hope for your dreams. _I shake my head, confused. "Mr. Gatsby, look what happened to _you _after you kept trying to follow your dreams. You died!" _That was me, old sport. You've got something different-nobody's fighting for him. If anything, hey, they're doing the opposite-fighting against him. He's all yours, Anya._ "B-but he could be using me...just as a replacement..._if _I didn't wreck my chances last night..." I whisper, in case Erik can hear Gatsby and I. _He's not like Daisy, old sport, I can tell you that. There's no Tom holding him back.__ The only thing standing in the way of your dream, _Gatsby stands up and walks behind me. _Is you..._

Erik comes back with a cup of liquid and kneels before me again, right where Gatsby was. I look over my shoulder, but Gatsby is gone, just like Satine was. "It's tea," Erik says as I take it from him shakily. "Th-thanks," I say weakly before drinking some of it. We sit here awkwardly as I finish up. Then a memory breaks through to clear the ice-Belle telling me last night what she'd wanted to do to Carlotta's poodle while singing here. I give the cup back to Erik and say, "Do you remember Belle Roux? She used to be a singer here." Erik purses his lips, looks up, then nods. "I met her at the Rouge. Last night, before I got drunk, she told me an idea she came up with a while back..."

**HALF AN HOUR LATER, 3RD PERSON POV **

Anya considered her options as she briskly walked to Carlotta's. Erik had told her that 'Fifi' **(yeah, so original, I know.)** had a walk every day at 11 o' clock. Now, it was a matter of getting the damn thing away from Carlotta and back to Erik's lair so they could carry out with Belle's idea. Anya checked Erik's pocket watch, which he had lent her. _10:30. That's when I went to the Rouge last night..._Anya sighed and pondered her problem through her less-pounding headache. _Anya, milaya, don't worry so! _Anya sighed and turned to the woman in white who only she could see with a snort. "Oh please, Anna. You shouldn't be talking, even more than Gatsby!" The dark-haired woman sighed and walked right along with Anya's brisk pace. _Well, it's true. Compared to all of us, you have it easiest. You don't have a lot of people depending on you to be with someone else. You have nobody in your way. And you're not legally bonded to someone you do not love. _"That didn't stop any of you. Hell, you were the one who kept loving Vronsky, even if it meant losing all honor, and your son! Gatsby died without knowing that Daisy was a gold-digger, and Satine gave up Christian because she was _afraid_ for him!" _Exactly, _Anna said. _You have nothing stopping you, so why stop anyway?_

A block behind, Erik watched Anya curiously. He wanted to make sure nothing happened to Anya-mainly, that Carlotta didn't catch her. Actually, she'd asked him to come along. But now, he saw, Anya was talking to someone, but there was almost nobody on the streets. And the people who were were talking to each other and not anywhere near Anya. Erik couldn't help but feel extremely worried. When he'd been making tea for her, he could've sworn she was talking to someone. And who was the 'Satine' Anya had addressed back when she was asking him what she did last night?

Anya sighed sheepishly. "I suppose I should keep trying...but...well, I acted so horribly last night from what I gathered, and-" _What does he mean to you? _a man's voice asked. Anya blinked and jerked back as she saw who was there with Anna. "Levin?! What are you doing here? You had a happy ending!" The man rolled his eyes. _What, is this a 'sad-ending-only' type of thing? I had my troubles to go through when courting Kitty! I was turned down twice, and the first time, I felt like I could never love again! And I kept courting Kitty, because she means so much to me. What does your phantom mean to you, Anya Oyen? Could you really stop after all you've gone through? _Anya stopped walking and looked around. She was about 3 blocks away from Carlotta's. _Well? _Anna and Levin chorused. Anya pursed her lips and suddenly she found the ground extremely interesting. She knew that Anna and Levin would keep following her if she did not answer, so she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and walked briskly away, singing so only Anna and Levin could hear her-

_You're the best friend that I know here  
I've been with you such a long time  
You're my sunshine  
And I want you to know  
That my feelings are true  
I really love you  
You're my best friend_

_I've been wandering round_  
_But I still come back to you_  
_At day or night_  
_You've stood by me boy_  
_I'm happy, happy with you_  
_You're my best friend_

Erik strained to hear what Anya was singing, or simply WHO SHE WAS TALKING TO, but he barely could. He strode a little faster, still keeping in the shadows to avoid her noticing him, and heard her sing-_  
You're the first one  
When things turn out bad  
You know I'll never be lonely  
You're my only one  
And I love the things that you do  
You're my best friend!_

Erik stopped walking and stood there, blown away. _Stop it. It's not about you. _In Anya's line of vision, Anna and Levin smiled at her triumphantly. _There you go. You won't give up now, will you? _"No!" Anya giggled in spite of herself. Anna and Levin nodded in approval, and then Anya caught sight of the gaudy, over-decorated house. She quietly made her way into the shadows of the other buildings and looked for her new friends to thank.

They weren't there. Anya was alone on the street. A sharp, stabbing pain in her stomach quickly drew her attention away from the fact that her new friends were nowhere to be found. She looked up from where she was clenching her stomach in pain and was suddenly filled with dread as her familiar orb flashed once in her face and was gone. She shook it off, and just in time, for Carlotta's maid came out with Fifi for her 11:00 walk. Erik saw the dog too, and smirked as Anya walked briskly over to the butcher's shop nearby.

Anya emerged a few moments later, carrying a small paper bag. She caught Erik's eye and sent him a wink, and he smiled back. Her trademark blood-red smirk on her pale face, Anya overtook the dog and made sure the bag was held loosely in her hand. As predicted, the dog reared up on its legs to try and follow it, making several people (for as they neared Montmartre, more people were on the streets) laugh. The maid was clearly unprepared for this, because the poodle easily broke out of her grasp and ran after Anya, who had purposely vanished into the crowd. Erik smirked as he saw the maid fret and try to run after them, and fail miserably. As Anya had instructed, he waited patiently in the shadows until he felt 3 taps on his shoulder. But those taps felt different than when she had done it before, as if her fingers were charged with electricity. But Erik shook it off as a minor thing and pushed any thoughts worrying about Anya from his mind.

**AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER, ERIK POV **

"HEY ERIK!" I smile in spite of myself and turn around to meet Anya's beaming face. "I take it that her reaction was appropriate?" Anya bursts into laughter, clutching her sides. _"Appropriate? _She threw the biggest tantrum I've ever seen from anyone! How'd you get rid of all that fur?" A slow grin breaks across my face. "Not telling." "Aw! Please? Why not?" "Make me!" "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!" I cross my arms and snort. "Good luck." She pouts and puts a hand on her chin. Suddenly, just like earlier this morning, her eyes dart across my lair and she freezes. "Really? Do you think so?" "Anya, who are you talking to?" She turns back to me. "Nobody." Then, she quickly steps up to me closely. And by closely, I mean extremely, violating my personal space closely. My face flares up like last night. Anya puts both hands on my shoulders and whispers in my ear-_  
_

"Tell me~ee~ee..."

"I put it in an envelope and sent it to the managers," I mutter all in a rush. Anya lets go of me and steps back. "Works every time!" she cackles. "No, but seriously, you did that?" "Yes," I say proudly. She hits the floor laughing. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?" I ask once she regains her breath. "Oh yeah, I'm heading to Raoul's estate tomorrow." An old familiar feeling flares, but I quench it. "How long will you be staying?" "It's a day trip. What time is it, by the way?" "12:35." "I'm sorry, I have to go now. Jean and Collette are dragging me dress-shopping for the Masquerade on New Year's..." Anya points to her open mouth and makes a gagging sound. I snicker. She rolls her eyes and steps up to me again. "See you tomorrow, I guess?" "Yes..." "Good!" And a kiss is planted on the bridge of my nose, but before I can even say anything, Anya's footsteps are retreating down her passageway.

"What is wrong with her?" I say aloud, sitting down at my desk, rubbing my nose for any trace of her lipstick. First, SHE KISSES ME 3 TIMES-once on the ear, one on the lips, and now on the nose. The one where she was drunk doesn't count. Then, SHE'S TALKING TO HERSELF. But...after talking to herself this morning, she seemed like she didn't want to touch me at all, and now she's kissing me on the nose? What is wrong with her, indeed?

_If I told a stranger all about you  
They would smile patiently in disbelief  
I always knew you would succeed no matter what you tried  
And I know you did it all in spite of me _

Anya cares for me. Not-not in that way. Only as a friend. Last night was nothing! SHE WAS DRUNK!

_Still I'm proud to have known you for the short time that I did  
So glad to have been a step up on your way  
So glad to be a part of your illustrious career  
And I know you did it all in spite of me  
In spite of me_

I'm still glad I finally found a friend, though. I gave her a steady career at my opera house. In spite of my ugliness, in spite of the fact that Anya saw me strangle a man-a human being, as he was in the body but not in the mind-in front of her very eyes.

_Late last night I saw you in my lonely lair  
You seemed so close and yet so cold  
For a time I thought...you'd be falling for me  
Those thoughts can be so cruel_

_ANYA OYEN DOES NOT LOVE YOU,_ I think to myself. I don't think she is toying with me purposely, simply for her own amusement. I know her well enough, she would never do something like that. Anya toys with my heart and my mind, without even meaning to. The first kiss, she did it because I asked her too. And she acted so nonchalant, that I started to doubt it. The second one last night...I TOOK ADVANTAGE OF HER. When she was drunk. And today...she pities me, she simply pities me so. Anya just tried to make me feel better, that was all. I vehemently banish all thoughts that she may love me from my mind.

_And I know you did it all  
__In spite of me_  
_In spite of me..._

But...what about those other thoughts? The ones, I think in horror and shock as I realize, the ones that may suggest...

I am in for yet another heartbreak.

**A/N: What is wrong with Anya, you may ask? Why is she seeing people of famous love stories, and yet nobody else can?...not telling. Anyway, Satine belongs to Baz Luhrmann, the amazingness that is Jay Gatsby belongs to F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Anna and Levin belong to my inspiration, Leo Tolstoy. Okay, I'm going to probably have more free time to write, so expect the next chapter sooner than this one. Thanks for reading, and please review!**


	12. Anya's Soliloquy-Come What May-On My Own

**A/N: Okay, so my friend asked me why I said 'characters from famous love stories' but ****_The Great Gatsby _****is not a love story. If you haven't read it, check it out. Love is actually a pretty big theme in it. A translation-****_milaya _****means 'dear' in Russian. So when Anya first saw Anna Karenina, Anna said, "Anya, dear, don't worry so!" Anyways, Valjean's Soliloquy (changed to Anya's), Come What May and On My Own do not belong to me. Enjoy.**

_Anya stands here, but now everything is different. The wind whips her hair all around her face as she straightens her black dressing gown. She realizes that she is on a ship-at the bow-that moves faster with every moment-first breaking sound, then light, finally she is moving so fast she cannot feel anything at all. Anya doesn't know where she is, but from what she can tell, it is just after the sun has set and right before the moon appears. She is alone, but the ship is still moving. Anya looks behind her nervously, but everything is a blur behind, to the left, to the right. So Anya looks ahead. Just out of reach, her orb bounces in front of her, taunting her. Far off in the distance, but approaching in rapid clarity, a dark shore-the night. A train whistles far off in the distance, and she strains to attempt to see it. However, until Anya reaches that shore, she will beat on, faster, stretching her arms farther...always and forever. _

**THE NEXT DAY, 3RD PERSON POV**

"Have you got a name for him?" Anya questioned as she caught her breath. Raoul shook his head. "No, we haven't. Any ideas?" Anya pursed her lips and thought. She looked around to see if her vanishing friends were there to perhaps give her an idea. Then it came to her, and Satine nodded at her in approval from behind Raoul.

"Chocolat?"

Raoul cocked his head. "Why Chocolat? It's a lovely name, but why?" Looking at the brown horse before her and Raoul, Anya remembered why Le Chocolat was one of her favorite Moulin Rouge characters, despite only having about 3 lines or so. Le Chocolat was essentially Satine's older brother. He caught her when she fell out of the swing, he saved her from the Duke, and he tried to help her run away with Christian afterwards. Anya could not explain it, but somehow she saw the character embodied inside the horse-in the background, but always there to lend a hand if needed.

"Well, he's brown, first of all. Second, remember the play I told you about?" Both Anya and Raoul looked around to make sure Christine wasn't there before Raoul responded, "The one at the Rouge?" "Yes, that one. There was a character in it-one who was always in the background. But he was like Satine's protector for when Christian wasn't allowed to see her. When she fell out of the swing, he was there to catch her. His name-or at least, his stage name-was Le Chocolat." "After an honorable man, I suppose?" "Yes." They walked silently out of the barn where the horses were and were soon back at the house.

Christine handed Anya a small mewing Siamese kitten as soon as they entered. "Why, who's this?" Anya asked with a smile, stroking the kitten's ears. "One of Eponine and Marius's kittens," Raoul replied. **(A/N: WHAT? Check my profile. I hardcore ship Marius and Eponine.) **"Oh, how many are there?" "7." "Awwww...have you named her?" "No, do you have any ideas?" Anya thought again. "How about Ayesha?" Christine smiled. "That's lovely." "Anya, you have a talent for naming things. You can have her," Raoul said with a smile. Anya smiled brightly. "Really?" "Of course." "Oh, thank you! But..." Anya stroked Ayesha's fur. "I have a friend who would take care of her much more than I ever could." Raoul was then called by one of the servants-a horse was looking sick-so he left Anya and Christine alone.

Christine sighed girlishly. "Madly in love, I see," Anya clicked her tongue. "Being in love is a wonderful thing...Anya, have you ever been in love?" Anya smirked playfully. She couldn't tell of Erik. "It depends on which love you're talking about." "So that is a yes?" "Maybe." "It's a yes." "Don't question it."

**NEXT DAY, ANYA POV **

Christmas Eve at last! Everybody is in a good mood, the wine flows freely, and, unfortunately, there is mistletoe EVERYWHERE. It's pretty hard walking around with your head in the air. After dodging some attempts for a kiss, I hide myself behind a column, giggling.

"What do you see in her?" I hear Claude's voice ask, the words then being chorused by other men. I instantly grow silent and strain my ears. GOSSIP. "I suppose I shall start from the very beginning," Piangi replies. I hear the sound of someone drinking, and then a bottle being put down.

"It all began a very long time ago. As you know, Carlotta's mother is also an opera singer and her father is an influential politician." _Carlotta's dad's a politician? Huh. Explains a lot. _"They wanted a perfect little daughter, if not a son. At a young age, she was taught that tears were weakness. And that weakness is always met with pain." I stiffen and can barely hear the men listening to Piangi say or do anything. "Carlotta was taught to be superior, to look down on everyone else, for it was what her parents did as well. If she acted that way, she was rewarded-not with love or affection, but with lifeless toys." I bite my lip and hang my head. It was never her fault. And now I've frightened her even more, I suppose. Abruptly and silently, I walk off and go to my dressing room to get my blue-and white cape to match my blue and white dress. I must take a day trip. I think back on all I've done. The shame I felt about getting completely wasted and making out with Erik is nothing compared to this.

As I walk quickly and surely to Carlotta's, I sing-

_What have I done?  
__Sweet Jesus, what have I done?  
__Become a demon in the night  
__Become a fox on the run  
__And I have fallen so far  
__And is the hour so late?  
__That nothing remains but the cry of my hate!  
__The cries in the dark that nobody hears  
Here's where I stand at the turning of the years?  
If there's another way to go  
There isn't, I'm stuck here, over a hundred years ago!  
My life is a war that can never be won  
They put me in a new world and murdered Anya  
When they put me in the catacombs and left me for dead  
But I adapted and made someone else feel dread! _

I feel so horrid! She's been tortured her whole life, the only things that give her respite are Piangi, her poodle, singing, and bossing people around. And I've come along and become the real monster. She is does not deserve this, and yet almost everyone thinks she does! I catch my breath. 3 blocks away now. I must calm down. I take a deep breath and continue walking-

_What spirit came to move my life?  
__Is there another way to go?  
__I am reaching, but I fall_  
_And the night is coming in  
__And I stare into the void  
__To the whirlpool of my sin  
__I'll escape now from this world  
From the world of the tormenter Anya Oyen  
The tormentor Anya Oyen is nothing now  
Another story must begin! _

I round a corner and then take 3 steps back. Carlotta. We stand here on the street, looking at each other. Obvious fear is in her eyes. I have half a mind to slap her in the face, but then I remember why I have come and hang my head, crossing my hands behind my back. This is going to be hard. Why do apologies look so easy when you see other people doing it or when people apologize to you? No, wait. I know why the 2nd one happens. It seems so easy and simple because they succumb to your view. You think it is easy because they go with how you see an issue. However, it is a very vulnerable time.

"I am sorry," I mutter.

I hear her breath catch. "What?" she whispers. Why do I hang my head? I must face the pain in the eye. No pun intended. I straighten up and have gray eyes meet brown. "I am sorry," I say strongly. When she just continues to stare at me in shock, I keep going. "I am sorry for making a fool out of you in front of everybody. I am sorry for every single little thing I have done to ever hurt you. You do not have to forgive me." My God, I suck at this. She opens her mouth slightly to say something as a new look enters her eyes, but then looks up at the sky. I follow her lead.

Snow.

It falls upon us in big fat flakes. Somehow, it takes the tension that I have been feeling, leading up to this moment of vulnerability-away. It is gone. I exhale, once, twice. Carlotta does the same, and then I follow her gaze.

2 small street rat boys, several pigeons, and bread in a baker's window. These objects seem extraterrestrial. Everything slows-the snowfall included; the two boys run after the pigeons and the black-haired one smiles up at me; the pigeons take to the air among the snowfall; and to tickle our noses comes the scent of the fresh bread. It all seems so beautiful, so other-wordly, this small, insignificant moment in time. It takes my breath away, and I hear Carlotta say quietly-

"I-a forgive you."

I turn to her and smile-a real smile, not one of my Bond smirks. Everything speeds up again as she looks at me oddly and then smiles back-a real smile as well. She has a odd little smile, but it makes her look much less like a harpy. Then her face changes. "Look-a out!" She pushes me to the side and screams in the face of a masked man, who, I suppose, was trying to mug me. The man grabs his ears and stumbles away. "Thanks," I breathe once he is gone. "Don't-a bother." Then Carlotta looks at me with concern. "You-a be careful. People with-a masks cannot-a be-a trusted."**(PRINCESS BRIDE!)** A cold feeling runs through my veins and then Carlotta goes out of focus-everything around her and her herself shines with a bright white light, and then everything goes back to normal. "Thank you again," I say as she and I start to walk away. "So, how is your poodle?"

**NEXT DAY, ABOUT 6 IN THE MORNING, ANYA POV**

"Shh, Ayesha," I mutter as I quietly tiptoe into Erik's lair. He won't be awake yet. It's way too early in the morning. I just want to leave Ayesha here and go without awkwardness. The siamese kitten has a red ribbon around her neck and I put her in a small black basket with a red cloth.

Silently, I place the basket right near the music box, so it'll be the first thing Erik sees when he wakes up. I turn to him to make sure he hasn't gotten up. He sleeps without his mask on. He looks...kinda...oh alright, I'll say it. HE LOOKS ADORABLE. His face isn't all tensed up, and he actually looks relaxed. _His face looks like bacon, _I remember Sebastian saying with a laugh when we were going all Rifftrax on the movie. _It sort of does, _Satine says as she and I walk out of his room quietly. "But bacon is delicious," I reply before my eyes widen and I slap a hand over my mouth in red-hot shame. Satine giggles. _You would know. _"Shut your face," I grumble, adjusting the headband Meg gave me (in return for perfume).

Something catches my eye as I step into my corridor. Oh. There's my own private green lighthouse, blinking away over Erik's organ. Seeing it so much, I've learned that where it blinks, I ought to go, so I step cautiously over and reach out to touch it. As usual, it bounces away, so I pout and prepare to walk back out. I then hear a loud yawn, a loud purr, and then Erik say sleepily, "What's this?" _Damn, it's too late. _In resolution of my fate, I plop myself down at the organ and stare into the flame of a candle. Hopefully this will be brief.

_WHY ARE YOU COMPLAINING? _I turn around and see Gatsby. _More time with him, old sport. _"But...it's...AWKWARD!" I hiss. _Just be glad for him. It's Christmastime, old sport, lighten up!_ I snarl in annoyance, but then let Gatsby's words sink in. It'll be nice. I hope.

**ERIK POV **

The kitten is so small. She fits easily into the palms of my hands. I smile in the direction of my curtains. Is Anya still outside? I have something for her.

I step out and look around before my eyes land on the back of her head. She sits upright, back to me, at my organ. She wears a white-and-silver dress and a headband with a lotus flower on it. "Anya?" I call. She turns immediately, a bright smile on her face. "I see you've found Ayesha," she says as I walk towards her. "That's a lovely name," I reply, reaching her and putting the hand that's not holding Ayesha on her shoulder. "Ah!" Anya flinches. "Is something wrong?" "Oh-uh, your hand is cold." "I'm sorry." I say stupidly as I sit down on the bench next to Anya. _No, no-ugh!_ Ayesha crawls out of my hand and jumps onto the keys. We watch her, smiling for a few moments. I then remember what I have for Anya and take the small black box out of my pocket. **  
**

"Anya?" "Hmm?" She turns to me with an eyebrow raised. When her eyes land on the box, they widen visibly and her face goes paler-or is it simply my imagination? _No, no, she's not interpreting it like that! _I open the box, and her face relaxes. "Erik, it's beautiful! Thank you so much!" Anya takes the necklace out of the box. It's a thin, delicate gold chain with a single diamond hanging from the center. She gives me another hug and murmurs, "Merry Christmas, Erik." "Merry Christmas, Anya," I reply, hugging her back. "Erik, I want you to know two things." "What?" She smiles. "Even if the whole, entire world is made up of complete and utter jerks, and that there is no soul in the world to care for people like you, know that I'll always be here. Always and forever..."**  
**

She puts on the necklace while humming a small, beautiful tune under her breath. "What's that you're humming?" I ask, picking Ayesha up and off the keys. "Oh-um, the other song I can play on the organ." "Play it for me?" I ask. Like the last time, she tenses. Unlike the last time, her head swivels to the left, away from me, and I see her mouth in annoyance, _Oh, alright! Fine! _She closes her eyes, bows her head, and begins to play.

"Never knew...I could feel like this...Like I've never seen...the sky...be-fore...want to vanish...inside your kiss...everyday, I love you more, and more." As she sings, her head lifts up until her face is to the ceiling of my cavern, a small smile on her face. "Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing? Telling me, to give you...EVERYTHING!" Her eyes open, and the smile widens. "Seasons may change, winter to spring...but..." Her eyes land on me-but do I dream again? "I love you, until the end...of...time!" If her eyes had been on me, now they're back on the keys. "Come what may, come what may! I will love you, until my dying day!" I snap out of my trance. _She is not singing to you! _

"Suddenly the world, seems like such a perfect grace...suddenly, it moves...with such a per-fect grace..." "Suddenly, my life doesn't seem such a waste!" we sing together. Anya's head snaps to me and her eyes are huge. _Oh God, I'm doing everything all wrong! _She looks at me once more before going back to singing. "It all revolves around you...And there's no mountain too high, no river too wide! Sing out this song, and I'll be there by your side! Storm clouds may gather, and stars may collide...but I love you, until the end of time!" _NOT SINGING TO YOU. NOT SINGING TO_ _YOU_-Her head turns to me as she plays and she smiles brightly-nervous, but bright.

"Come what may, come what may! I will love you! Until my dy-ing day, oh, come what may, come what may...I will love you-" "I will love you," I sing softly, unsure. Anya's smile grows brighter and her eyes sparkle like the diamond on her necklace encouragingly. I smile in return, the nervousness gone. "Suddenly," I sing, "the world seems like such a perfect place..." We both turn our heads to the keys and sing together-

_Come what may!  
__Come what may!  
__I will love you  
__Until my dying day!_

Anya and I let out one loud breath together, and then she looks at me-is that hope in her eye? Or is it simple teasing? No. It isn't teasing. I...I do not know what to say or do. "W-what did you think?" She asks, breathless. Relief courses through my veins. _She just wants to know about the song. Not the fact that I..._I clear my throat.

"It's a lovely song, Anya."

Immediately, her eyes lose the sparkle but the smile stays on, weary. "An-anything else?" Ayesha gets back on the keys and I watch her, avoiding Anya's gaze. "Ought there be?" I blurt. Nothing but silence in response, and then a loud _BANG! _I jump. Anya has banged her head on the organ. "Anya...?" I ask, confused. Abruptly, she stands up and simply stares into my eyes, hers cold and mine confused. Suddenly, her eyes soften and she begins to walk away. "I'll see you at the Masquerade, I suppose?" "Yes..." "That's," she looks over her shoulder at me with ice in her eyes "simply _lovely, _Erik." "Anya, wa-wait!" I exclaim as she almost reaches her passage. She looks over her shoulder again, eyes now questioning. "Thank you." She gives me a watery smile and vanishes into her passageway.

**ANYA POV, THAT NIGHT **

I wander the streets in Erik's brown coat over my white and silver dress, going nowhere in particular. I'm still in a daze about Erik's obliviousness. Even my four friends reacted like I did when he simply said it was a lovely song-Levin began to bang his head on the wall in frustration; Satine started hissing and gesturing wildly; Anna fell flat on her face; and Gatsby's jaw hit the floor.

_I thought he was a genius of some sort! _Gatsby rants. _I'm really questioning his intelligence, _Satine grumbles. _You would've thought, after trying to woo a girl using a very close technique, he would've known when someone loves him! _Anna cries. _I am starting to seriously doubt him, _Levin adds. I sigh and turn from them. "Well, do any of you know what I ought to do now?" No response. I turn wildly. They've gone again, and my light isn't here either. Tears start to well in my eyes.

_And now I'm all alone again, nowhere to turn no one to go to!  
__Without a heart, without a friend, without a face to say hello to  
__And now the night is near...and I can make believe he's here..._

_Sometimes I walk alone at night when everybody else is sleeping  
I think of him, and then I'm happy with the company I'm keeping  
This city goes to bed, and I can live inside my head  
_

_On my own, pretending he's beside me  
All alone, I walk with him 'till morning  
Without him, I feel his arms around me  
And when I lose my way I open my eyes, and he's found me  
_

_And I know, it's only in my mind  
That I'm talking to myself and not to him  
And though I now know that he's blind  
Still I say, there's a way for us_

_I love him, but every day I'm learning  
All this time, I've only been pretending  
Without him, my world will stop turning  
A world that's full of happiness that he's never known!_

"I love him," I breathe. "I love him...I love him...but only on my own." It is as if my fate is sealed. It is official. Romantic love from Erik is not to be had. I wrap my coat around myself for a moment, reminding myself of everything that I have done and the hope I felt for love, before I tear off the coat and leave it in a heap on the street. There are as many loves as there are hearts, but one cannot always get the one they work the hardest for.

**A/N: The full impact has not hit yet...Ayesha does not belong to me, she belongs to Susan Kay. I own nothing but the plot and Anya. Since I pre-wrote most of the next chapter, I'll probably have it up sooner than this one. Also, remember how in the summary I said 'reasons that will be explained later'? That reason will be updated as I put up Chapter 13. Thank you for reading, and please tell me what you think!**


	13. Masquerade-Fool To Believe

**A/N: Woah, next chapter up next day! This, I suppose, is the 'reveal of all' chapter. The explanation of Anya's light and her friends that only she can see. When everything takes its toll...The Diary of Jane, Masquerade, and Fool To Believe don't belong to me. That scene in the last chapter with the 2 boys, the birds, and the bread, is from a beautiful scene in Anna Karenina. Enjoy.**

**ANYA POV**

In, out. Inhale, exhale.

I have been gliding the past few days.

I notice nothing, and yet I see everything.

I hear nothing, but I can analyze perfectly what everyone says.

I am empty; a shell of what once was a lover of everything and anything; a diamond that has lost its sparkle.

I have been talking to those who are not there, to those that speak and listen.

I have been carving on the walls painstakingly with the knife I was given.

_When the lover's blood is spilled  
When the destruction has been killed. _

Names, places, dates, phrases, letters. A little bit of everything, carved into these walls.

Something is happening. But of what, I do not know. For now, at least.

Tonight is the night. Tonight will make me or break me.

_There's a fine line between love and hate.  
And I don't mind.  
Just let me say that  
I like that, I like that_

A black mask and a gown. It is blue-ish black (like black with a small blue tint) and a dark red sash coming off the left oddly familiar...but from where? I does not matter, just like everything now. Now, the matter of my hair. After pondering for a few moments, I put it up Gothic Tower style. I sigh and look at my reflection. Why do I do this? He will show up. I have stopped calling him by his given name. I should not, anyway. We are not friends anymore...are we?**********************  
**

_Something's getting in the way  
Something's just about to break  
I will try to find my place in the catacombs of you  
So tell me how it should be_

The thought strikes me. He may not have romantic interest, but could we simply be friends? _I will care for you. Always and forever. _I promised that. And a rule in a life like mine is that you always keep your promises, even if you despise them later on. I suppose it could not hurt, to simply be friendly to him tonight, if we interact at all.

Suddenly, an odd feeling bubbles up. It comes from my stomach, from my heart, from my soul. I start laughing hysterically as I get up-ready to go-and leave the room. A few minutes later, I run into Meg in her angel costume. "What's so funny?" she asks as we head out to the ballroom. I snicker and attempt to stop laughing. "I'm just in a good mood, that's all. I like your costume." "Thank you! Your dress is nice. How did you get your hair like that?" I shrug. "Thanks, and it's a style I had to wear in my _Moulin Rouge _play. If you want, sometime I'll show you how to do it." She grins. "That would be nice!" Soon we run into Madame Giry, the managers, Piangi, and Carlotta. Much to my amusement, Piangi is dressed like a sultan, making him even more like Zidler in my opinion.

As we draw near the ballroom, I hear everyone singing their different parts of Masquerade. We start down the stairs, and my new friend Carlotta announces- "What a night!" "What a crowd!" "Makes you glad!" "Makes you proud!" I strike a pose. "All the crem de la crem!" "Watching us, watching them!" "All our fears are in the past!" "3 months!" "Of relief!" "Of delight!" I smile slowly and twistedly. They have no idea... "Of Elysian peace! And we can breathe." "No more notes!" "No more ghosts!" "Here's a health," "Here's a toast!" I sing. "To a prosperous year," "To our friends who are here!" "May the splendor never fade!" Carlotta, Piangi, and I sing. Meg and I head in opposite directions and Madame Giry says, "And with a masquerade!" Looking around, I instantly spot the bubbly and grab a glass. When I said I wouldn't _drink, _I meant I wouldn't get _drunk. _I know when to contain myself, and the Moulin Rouge is not where one does that. And this place is anything but the Rouge.

I spot Raoul and Christine walking down a hallway and head over. "Hello, Christine. Nice ring," I say. They told me about the engagement on my day trip to Raoul's. Actually, I 'guessed' that they were engaged and they couldn't deny it. "Thank you, Anya! You look beautiful!" Christine's in such a good mood. Poor thing, she's so unaware of what will happen. She turns to Raoul and sighs, "Think of it, a secret engagement." I put a hand on Raoul's shoulder. "Look, your future bride!" "Just think of it..." "But why is it secret? What have we to hide? You promised me..." "No Raoul, please don't, they'll see." "Well then let them see!" "It's an engagement, not a crime," I add. "Christine, what are you afraid of?" "Let's not argue, please pretend-" "I can only hope-" "-you will understand in time." "I will understand in time..." They dance around the room, and I waltz around with a man who is, much to my amusement, dressed like Batman. **(I am not kidding, if you watch the masquerade scene, A GUY DRESSED LIKE BATMAN MAKES A CAMEO.)**Even though I don't know how to waltz, it's the waltz from the 1997 version of Anna Karenina, much to my relief. **(That scene is beautiful, but not as cool as the dance from the new movie.) **I then dance around with a guy who is dressed like Zorro, except in silver. **(Yep, silver Zorro also makes an appearance.)**

As I let go of him, the flashlight beams in my face. It hasn't done so in days, ever since I left his coat in the street. It bounces away from me, up the stairs, so I go and follow it. It leads me down several winding, dark hallways that only a few inhabit, and get darker and emptier as I go on. Soon I am alone, turning corners, humming an unknown tune. Then my beacon abruptly vanishes, and I look at my surroundings. The carvings look almost alive in the dark, like at any second I'll be swallowed alive by the dark and trapped forever. I hear a soft sliding sound and the sound of footsteps, so I turn.

_Him._

**ERIK POV**

_Anya._

I hoped to see her, get a chance to speak tonight, seeing as she has been avoiding me for the past week, but not as early as this. She is not in white, as she was on Christmas Day. She wears a black dress that almost looks blue in the faint light. Her hair is not in the way of her face; only a few ringlets have escaped around her neck but still leave her face in the open. Her eyes behind the sharp black mask betray no emotion, they simply seem like hard diamonds. Her mouth is red and set in a flat line. Something about her coldness draws me in. Only her mouth, her eyes, her skin, and the diamond chain around her neck betray the fact that I am with another human in this hallway.

"Have you been waiting for me?" I ask, my voice puncturing the dark. "I was sent," she replies icily. "Sent? By whom?" Her eyes lose their coldness and her face takes on a look of deliriousness. "Everyone and no one..." she whispers, her eyes looking at me and yet miles away. I clear my throat. "Anya..." "Yes?" she says softly and gently. I purse my lips and walk up to her, but I cannot form the words. Instead, I slowly put a red rose in her hand and walk away from her. Before I round the corner, I look back.

Anya is staring at the rose in shock. She slowly lifts her head and our eyes meet. Then a faint smile as she walks up to me. "I'll be watching," she says simply. I smile back and we walk side-by-side through darkened halls until she releases me-"People are in the next hall,"-and goes to the small balcony for the hall we are in. As I walk into the next hall, I put on a facade of 'armed and dangerous.' People gasp, they stop their merriment as I pass silently throughout the halls until I come to one of the two central main ones before the main hall. I hear the people sing-

_Masquerade! Paper faces on parade!  
__Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you!  
__Masquerade! Every face a different shade!  
__Masquerade! Look around, there's another mask behind you!  
__Masquerade! Burning glances, turning heads!  
__Masquerade! Stop and stare at the sea of smiles around you!  
__Masquerade! Grinning yellows, spinning reds!  
__Masquerade! Take your fill at the spectacle around you! _

I smirk as I enter the main hall as everyone sings, "MASQUE-" Their gasps and shrieks quickly stop as I swing my head from side to side. I see Anya smirking and shaking her head up on the balcony I left her in. I start walking slowly down the stairs. I understand that feeling Anya told me about a few weeks ago-that amazing feeling when you are onstage (or putting on a show) and you are all alone, and all eyes are on you. "Why so silent, good monsieurs? Did you think that I have left you for good? I have you missed me, good monsieurs? I have written you an opera. Here I bring the finished score: Don Juan Triumphant!" I throw the score on the steps among the glitter and draw my sword, looking up at where Anya is. She shakes her head silently and mouths-_No killing! _I smirk and sing-

"Fondest greetings to you all...A few instructions just before rehearsal starts..." I turn to my _favorite _toad, dressed in gold, and put my sword to mess with the feathers in her hair. She gasps as I sing, "Carlotta must be taught to act, not her normal trick of strutting around the stage." Out of the corner of my eye, Anya violently shakes her head as a no-no. That's odd. I thought she and Carlotta were enemies. I stop, just as Piangi moves up. I poke him and say, "Our Don Juan must lose some weight; it's not healthy in a man of Piangi's age." Anya wags her head-this time in amusement-leans on her elbows on the railing, and smiles up at the ceiling. I turn to those two old fools. "And my managers must learn that their place is at an office, not the arts." Anya nods her head, which is being supported by her black-gloved hands, out of the corner of my eye in approval.

I tear my eyes from Anya, in case anyone notices, looks up, and accuses Anya of being an accomplice. I turn instead to Christine, sheath my sword, and sing, "As for our star, Miss Christine Daae..." Anya opens her fan up above and starts fanning herself slowly. "No doubt, she'll do her best. It's true, her voice is good. She knows though, should she wish to excel, she has much still to learn, if pride will let her return to me, her teacher...her teacher..." As Christine comes to me, the fan is moving silently, rapidly. It almost looks like Anya is drying unshed tears. Her mouth is a blood-red straight line again. My attention snaps back to Christine as she stops, simple inches from me. She has a diamond ring on a gold chain...almost like the diamond that Anya wears. I grab the chain from her neck, snarl "Your chains are still mine! _You belong to me!" _Anya no longer fans herself, now slightly leaning over the railing; her hands grip the railing of the balcony, her eyes wide, her mouth slightly agape. A look of either horror or desperation is on her face.

I run up the stairs, swoosh my cape, and look up once more as I activate the trapdoor. Anya's hands are now at her sides as she stands limply on the center balcony; her eyes are large and sparkling (not in a happy way), she sniffles, and she trembles ever so slightly. The last thing I see before I fall into my mirror trap is two tears falling from her eyes as they close and she lifts her head to the ceiling.

**ANYA POV, 3 HOURS LATER **

I sit here in the cold, etching the same thing over and over into the pedestal of a statue.

_Sick. Sick. Sick. Sick. Sick. Sick. Sick._

Not even a cape or a coat. Just a black dress, black gloved hands, and a knife. My hair is loose, and I am free.

"Anya."

I do not even turn. I know who it is. Stole my heart again. Murdered me again. I let myself forgive, but the temptation of falling into my old ways was too strong. I cannot bear to even lay my eyes on him, because I know I will fall off the rocky cliff again. _Sick. _

A black-gloved hand takes my wrist that is carving the next _S _and pulls my arm up, forcing me to look at him. But...nothing happens. Nothing. Where was that feeling I felt mere weeks ago? Where is even the love of friendship? I look down where I've dropped the knife. Next to it is the rose. I purse my lips and stare into his eyes. _One last chance. One last chance to realize. _Nothing.

I crush the rose beneath my foot.

"You..." I breathe. "You never knew. Painfully obvious, you were painfully oblivious. You..." I gesture to myself and at the carved wall. "...are the cause of all this. This-this must stop! If you have any thought for me," I say, my voice slipping "you will give me back my peace." He looks at me, confused yet again. "Anya...there is no peace for me. Only misery and false happiness." I put my face in my hands. "Tell me," I say, my voice muffled by velvet, "tell me, do you think that it's possible for us to...to even be friends, after what you have done? Is it possible?" I lift my face a little. He puts a hand on my bare shoulder, and I flinch. "Have I done something wrong?" I snap my head up and shake him off. "Not something, everything!" I cry. "What-Anya, what did I do?"

_What did I do. What did I do? WHAT DID I DO?! _I step back and growl like a feral cat as the wind starts to blow through my hair, "You are horrid and disgusting to me! If you could cry, it would be nothing but water! You never liked me! You just wanted someone to care for you! An actor, an actor is all you are! You have no heart, you have no honor! To me, you are detestable, disgusting-a stranger!" My voice pierces the night and the stars. _"Yesssss, a perfect stranger!" _He looks at me in shock as a pain in the stomach-which happens now every 15 minutes-appears. I clench it and continue snarling, my breath little puffs in the air. "Anya..." he says pleadingly. The way he says my name ticks me off. "Leave!" I bark. "Leave?" he repeats like a parrot. "Leave my life!" I sob/snarl. It is a test. He looks at me once before going over to the door. "Vengeance!" I yell. He looks over his shoulder. I breathe through clenched teeth as the wind continues to mess with my hair. "Vengeance...is mine! I will repay!" He turns back and exits.

The wind dies, along with me.

Then the lighthouse appears. I wait for it to move, show me what to do now. It does not float away now.

Cautiously, I reach for it. It does not move. My hand is almost around it now. Still not moving.

I squeeze down on it.

Then the feeling rushes through me, no fear of this feeling, exciting and new. Flooding my veins, flooding my thoughts, flooding my memories. The voices yell, whisper, sing, speak. I am in an endless graveyard of voices, back from the graveyards of my mind, all here for me now. It is lovely. I see everything now. It is crystal clear, everything now. I have replenished my lighthouse, and now it will lead me everywhere and anywhere. I look back down.

The rose is still there. A little flat, and a few petals have fallen, but not much else. I frown at it, lift my skirt so I can see my foot, and stomp down on it again.

Now the rose _shatters_. It shatters with a beautiful cry of death, into hundreds, millions, billions of little sparkling diamonds that fly all around me now. I am free, and yet have just been locked in a gilded cage. I do not care now. It does not matter. For now, I revel in this new state of mind, and I twirl around the roof and sing to an invisible _him-_

_I was a fool...to...believe  
__A fool...to...believe  
__It all ends today...  
__Yes, it all...ends...today!  
__Today's the day, when dreaming, ENDS!_

It is all over. As I said when I was going to ask Carlotta for forgiveness, another story must begin! And with a new view on life, with new voices to guide me with my green beacon! Oh, yes, vengeance is mine, and repaying will be..._lovely. _

**A/N: I think I'm going to have fun with this! I hope you guys like where this is going. If you still don't get it, check out the Nietzsche quote I put in the summary. It sums it up pretty well. Anya's 'you are a stranger to me!' rant is mainly based on Dolly's rant to Oblonsky in Anna Karenina, page 76. 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay' is the first line of Anna Karenina, right before the 'All happy families' quote. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. Your reviews/faves/follows keep me going!**


	14. Love is Blindness-What Lies Beneath

**A/N: Hey guys! Did you like the last chapter? Please go easy on me for this one, it's actually pretty hard-yet fun-to write from the point of view of someone who is mentally unsound. Love is Blindness, All I Ask Of You, A Heart Full Of Love, El Tango De Roxanne (changed to Masked Man), Chasing Cars, What Lies Beneath, and I Dreamed A Dream do not belong to me (even though I changed around the lyrics of I Dreamed A Dream and El Tango De Roxanne this time). Enjoy.**

**ANYA POV**

_Sick. Sick. Sick. Sick. Sick. Sick. SICK. _

My head spins with visions and voices taunting me. The words I have carved float before my eyes. I have gotten about 5 hours of sleep. The story will be ending will leave with Raoul, _he_ will get his soul crushed. I do not need to work for my revenge. That does not mean that I will simply stand by and laugh, however. I am never one to turn down any type of fun.******************  
**

_Maybe I should go for a walk,_ I think, slowly getting up and off of the floor of my dressing room-where I have been sleeping with my carvings-and silently getting dressed, in a black-and-red dress and a black cape with black gloves. I do not even bother to comb my hair as I glide past a snoring Raoul. I step out into the stables and look around. Ah. There is Chocolat, Raoul has been riding him frequently, and he left him here last night. I saddle up and start off at a trot to nowhere. The streets are empty and cloaked with fog. I look around suspiciously before heading in the direction that I know leads to the woods, which leads to the graveyard. I get Chocolat at a canter, and as we nearly fly through the forest, diamond sparks off Chocolat's hooves, I sing softly-

_Love is blindness,  
I don't wanna see  
Won't you wrap the night around me?  
Oh, my heart  
Love is blindness_

_I'm in a parked car on a crowded street,  
And I see my love made complete  
The thread is ripping  
The knot is slipping...  
Love is blindness! _

How was it possible to love him? How was it possible to love? I cannot fathom how I was able to do such a thing. Why? No. You cannot ask why about love. I somehow retain that, along with my views of love. It is the greatest thing you will learn, because you will learn to never do so again. There are as many types of love as there are hearts. And there is heartless love for heartless monsters.

_Love is clockworks,  
And it's cold steel  
Fingers too numb to feel  
Squeeze the handle  
Blow out the candle  
Blindness_

_Love is blindness_  
_I don't wanna see_  
_Won't you wrap the night around me?_  
_Oh my love_  
_Blindness... _

I had dreamed a dream. I had dreamt for a happy ending. I had dreamt to finally actually love someone forever and have it back. But there are dreams that cannot be...and love is something that cannot be weathered.

_A little death  
Without mourning  
No call  
No warning  
Baby, a dangerous idea...  
Almost makes...sense_

_Love is drowning_  
_In a deep web_  
_All the secrets_  
_And no body else to tell_  
_Take the money, why don't you honey?_  
_Blindness..._

We are now near the graveyard. I can sense it, deep down in my soul, deep down in my thin bones. I hear bells tolling. For whom the bells toll. They toll for me, for love, for him. For WHAT the bells toll.

_Love is blindness,  
I'm so sick of it!  
I don't wanna see!  
Why don't you just take the night and wrap it all around me, now  
Oh my love...  
Blindness!_

The graveyard comes into view. I slow Chocolat down to a walk, and as we walk up to the gate, I sing with the force of a thousand sharp diamonds "Oh, I'm too numb to feel...Blow out the candle...Blindness!" And I slide down to the ground. I silently tie Chocolat to a tree and go inside the graveyard. The words on the tombstones, I see now. The same thing, over and over. _Sick. _I open my mouth a bit and exhale. Out goes the green light from deep inside, but the tail is still inside me, like a leash. "Take me," I whisper to it. It glows once before starting to float away, leading me.

I look around. The light and I are the only colorful things. Red and black stand out in a blue, white, and gray graveyard. The light suddenly fully comes out of my mouth, and I gag and fall to my knees. _Sick. _Oh God, I actually feel like throwing up. F**k. I then hear _his _voice sing, far off, carried on the wind: "Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime..." I sadly bow my head. "He was never mine to lose..." We sing along together-

_Let me lead you from your solitude/Why regret what cannot be?  
Say you need me, with you, beside you/These are words he'll never say  
Anywhere you go/Not to me...not to me...not for me  
Let me go too/His heart full of love  
Christine/He had never  
That's all I ask of you/Felt this_ way...

The light suddenly glows angrily. "I-I am sorry," I say softly, but then the tail goes into my mouth again and drags me forward again. It fills me with anger towards _HIM _again. And pity, and sorrow, sorrow for _us. _He did not know what he had, wrapped around his little finger. Well, it unwrapped itself, and is now out for revenge.

_In the tunnels of the Paris Opera House_******  
**_It tells the story of a Phantom_******  
**_And a stupid, naive actress_**********  
**_Who falls in love with him!_  
**************  
**_First...they are enemies!_******************  
**_Then...they are allies!_******************  
**_Then...he is smit__ten with someone else!_**********************  
**_Jealousy! Anger! __Sadness!_**************************  
**_When love is for the best singer, there can__ be no trust!_******************************  
**_Without trust, t__here is no love!  
__Jealousy,__ yes,__jea__lousy, will drive you...MAAAAAD!_

_Masked man  
You don't have to live alone in the candlelight  
Kill people who know too much and think it's funny  
And you even do not care for the light  
Masked man  
You don't have to fade away into the night! _

I could have given him everything. I would have given him anything readily. He took that possibility away from himself, however. Now I do not feel my wrath. Only pity. Pity for the monster who did not understand what he had, pity for the monster who let the one person who gave a damn (how was that possible?) about him.

_Masked man  
__Why did my heart cry?  
Masked man  
__Feelings I could not fight  
__You were free to leave me  
__But only if you did not deceive me  
__And please believe me when I say  
__I loved you! _

The light suddenly is sucked into me all at once, and I recoil from the shock. Everything slows. Two steps back, and then I fall onto my back, my arms over my head. I close my eyes, still reeling from the impact, and simply lay here, breathing in the cold, hard air. _If I lay here, if I just lay here, could I maybe just forget the world? _I let the voices sing in their whispery, high voices as the words, the colors, the snapshots float past my vision. _  
_

"Anya!"

I open my eyes and look behind me. Christine is standing there, looking at me in shock. I guess it is not every day you see a girl lying down in the snow in a graveyard. "Do not mind me," I call softly. She gives me a weird look and goes up to the mausoleum to pray. I move my eyes around, too lazy to get up. "Wandering child, so lost, so helpless yearning for my guidance." _I am out of here! _Wait...ah, maybe it would be getting an evil laugh out of seeing my mind-taker getting beaten. I roll over in the snow lazily and move away so I will not be in the way of the spectacle that takes place.

"Angel or father, friend or Phantom, who is it there staring?" I nearly scream _RUN RUN YOU BLASTED FOOL! _"Have you forgotten your angel?" _Angel, puh-leeze._ "Angel, oh speak what endless longings echo in this whisper." I facepalm and groan as the gates open and inside it is red. Like Hell. The green light decides to come back. Well, it is better than red.

"Too long you've wandered in the winter, far from my fathering eyes." I roll my eyes and tap my forehead. Where, oh where is Raoul? "Wildly, my mind beats against you..." Christine sings softly. "You resist, yet the soul obeys!" Erik commands, but there's a question in his voice. Like, _what's with Anya? _How are people so hypnotized by his voice? Christine KNOWS it is him. Why does she do this? Then they do a duet, and I think along with every line-

_Angel of Music, I denied you/you denied me (And you denied me right back!)_

_Turning from true beauty! (Your soul? Beauty? Do not make me laugh.)_

_Angel of Music, my protector/do not shun me (YOU SHUNNED ME!)_

_Come to me, strange Angel/Come to your strange Angel! (MAKE ME!)_

Christine is almost at the entrance as Erik sings "I am your angel of music. Come to me, Angel of Music!" _Times like this I wish I had the gun. _The sound of hooves makes me smirk and casually turn over. And there is Raoul, on a white horse with Chocolat behind that one. "CHRISTINE, WAIT, WAIT!" He stops the horses and runs to Christine. "Whatever you believe, this man, this thing, is not your father!" I remember what happens next as Christine gasps. "Move." I say, bored. He complies as Erik jumps to the ground with his masquerade sword.

Hack. Slash. Yell. Murmured swears. Slash. Jab. Hack. Run, hide. Attack, swoosh, slice, cry. Christine looks on, horrified. I feel nothing. Literally, nothing. I am a lifeless object, alive. Raoul disarms him and the sword lands near me. I pick it up and before Christine can say anything, I am standing up, having shoved Raoul to the side, holding _him _in place on one knee by his cape fastener and his sword against the back of his neck.

"I would have given you," I hiss, "anything you wished. I would have. But you have changed. You have hurt me, you have broken me. And you are proud. Do not deny it. You are proud of what you have done." No response. "So now," I pull him so we're nose-to-nose and aim the sword over his cape, feeling a smile slowly twist on my face while I start laughing hysterically. "I. OWE. YOU. NOTHING. AND. YOU. ARE. NOTHING. TO. ME. B-ut..." We're literally so close I am inhaling his breath, and I breathe out the next part for only him to hear, the smile gone, tears streaming down my face. "Thank you for curing me of my ridiculous obsession with love." I then sing in a whispery, high voice-

_Take a breath, hold it in  
Start a fight, you won't win  
Had enough?  
Let's begin  
Nevermind  
I don't care_

_All in all_  
_You're no good_  
_You don't cry like you should_  
_Let it go, if you could_  
_When love dies in the end_

_So I'll find what lies beneath_  
_Your sick twisted smile_  
_As I lie underneath your cold jaded eyes_  
_Now you turn the tide on me_  
_'Cause you're so unkind_  
_I will always be here_  
_For the rest of my life!_

And with that, I impale the sword through his cape-diamonds shatter upon my face-and into the ground as the green light intensifies.

I take off for Chocolat and swing myself onto him as Erik attempts to get up and fails. I grab the delicate, thin gold chain with the diamond around my neck, take it off, hurl it at him, and then kick the horse into a run, a very confused Christine and Raoul following. As we ride away, I hear him announce, along with the ripping of his cape, "Now, let there be war upon you both!"

**ERIK POV, ONE HOUR LATER **

I slide down to where the ropes that uphold the chandelier are. I pull the right lever and detatch the main chain. I've rigged everything else for the chandelier to fall if needed. I turn around to go back into my lair, but a soft, trembling voice with the force of thunder stops me.

"There was a time...when you were kind...and your voice was soft...and your words inviting...there was a time, when I was blind...and this world was a song...and the song was...exciting...there was a time...then it all...went...wrong..." I stiffen and look over my shoulder. It's her. Sitting in the far corner, wearing the dress she wore when I taught her punjabbing. Her hair is less mussed then it was earlier, and she sits in front of a small lamp, head upturned._  
_

"I dreamed a dream of time gone by...when hope was young, and life worth living...I dreamed that love would...never die...I dreamed that I could be forgiving..." I look at the back of her head in confusion. What did I do wrong? And why won't she tell? "Then I was naive, and unafraid...and dreams were made...and used...and wasted...There was no vengeance...to repay...no song unsung, no drink untasted..." I quietly come up behind her-not too close. Her head suddenly levels and her voice strengthens. "But the tiger came at night...with your voice as soft...as thunder...and you tore my heart apart..and you turned my dream to shame!" She raises her fist, and I put my hands up if she tries to hit me. But then my eyes widen when I see what she has in a trembling fist.

The knife. The one I gave her, back along with my coat.

She puts it to her face-me still watching her closely to make sure she does not sever her own head. "You spent the winter by my side...you filled my days with endless wonder!" I look at her sadly and mouth _Anya..._I can't believe it, but now I feel like I am going to cry, for the first time since Christine went with the Vicomte. I have lost her. So close, and now it has really hit me. I have lost the one person who cares, even if she is rubbing a knife against her face. "You took my heart and mind...in your stride! But you...were gone when the new year came!" I hear it then, a swift, clear, _slice. _A gasp, and then Anya takes the knife off of her face immediately. It is stained with blood. My God. She has cut her own face.

Her back hunches over and she starts shaking. I hear the sobs in her voice as she sings-"And still I thought you'd come to me! That maybe we could be friends together! But...there are dreams that cannot be! And love is a burden I cannot weather!" Suddenly, she turns to me, and I hold up my hands and take a step back. The cut on her face is bleeding, the blood dripping down onto the floor. The rage in her face and her eyes is real as she stands and yells at me-

"I HAD A DREAM MY LIFE WOULD BE...SO DIFFERENT, FROM THIS HELL, I'M LIVING! SO DIFFERENT NOW, FROM WHAT IT SEEMED..." Her shoulders slump and she looks at me, passion and anger gone from her eyes, tears mixing with the blood on her face. "Now...you...have killed...the dream...I dreamed..." Abruptly, Anya straightens up, her eyes harden, she presses an handkerchief to her bleeding cheek, and walks slowly and purposefully away into the darkness.

**A/N: I had a lot of fun writing this. I hope you guys liked it. Tell me what you think! The next chapter will be up tomorrow (seeing as it's pre-written). Thank you for reading, and please review!**


	15. Hindi Sad Diamonds

**A/N: Is it wrong that I'm having fun writing a mentally deranged character going on a quest for revenge?...nope. Anywho, here's chapter 15. Hindi Sad Diamonds and I Hate Everything About you are not mine. I apologize for the fact that this chapter is so short, but so is the next one. Enjoy.**

_Anya stands here agin, but now everything is horribly different. A gilded cage. A large, sparking, taunting diamond light. Anya screams for dear life and rattles on the bars, but to no avail. A snap, and the chain holding her has broken. She falls towards the icy water, screaming, crying, reaching for the lock, reaching for the light, but it is too late. She sinks into the freezing water, and a harsh white light emits from the bottom, and the cage sinks, and she screams, but there is nothing...nobody...left to help._

I notice a bunch of police officers here to arrest Erik. What a shame he will not be caught. Wait, it is going to be even better! He goes crazy himself! And rejected! Beautiful! The chorus goes ALLELUIA as the green light appears yet again! It shines, reflected in the red light.

Christine comes out in her costume and she looks at me with relief. I have combed and curled my hair for the first time in 5 days, and I assume I at least look normal. Beautifully normal, robotic. I nod and hum 'The Show Must Go On' as the curtain rises and the chorus sings, Carlotta leading- "Here the sire may serve the dam, here the master takes his meat! Here the sacrificial lamb utters one despairing bleat!" Kind of reminds me of Satine and her relationship with the Duke, right before Christian sneaks into the Rouge. "Poor, young maiden! For the thrill on your tongue of stolen sweets, you will have to pay the bill tangled in the winding sheets! Serve the meal and serve the maid! Serve the master so that when tables, plans, and maids are laid; Don Juan triumphs once again!"

Meg and I enter the stage, a pouch of money is thrown at Meg, and we dance around to leave Piangi to sing. Now that I think about it, this opera is...ahem, wrong. Just plain WRONG. Even Spectacular Spectacular, which has some aspects of this play, was not this WRONG. I thought it beautiful. Why? It is so odd! The audience thinks it is weird too! I can see them recoiling! Don Juan is like the evil marajah! Except he's not fat! I smirk as an image of Piangi roaring "SHE IS MINE!" while dressed like a over-accesorized marajah appears. In my head, the music and my outfit changes to a black-and-gold courtesan outfit, and I mouth softly-

_I only speak the truth_

_I only speak the truth_

_I only speak the truth_

_I only speak the truth_

_I only speak the truth!_

_I only speak the truth!_

_I ONLY SPEAK THE TRUTH!_

_I ONLY SPEAK THE TRUTH!_

Christine looks at me once worriedly, heads onstage, and sings her part- "No thoughts within her head, but thoughts of joy. No dreams within her heart, but dreams of love." Love sucks, woman! Love is not all joy, it's horrible! To have an obsession, a passion, a mere _liking _for love is crazy! I start mouthing the words and swaying as suddenly everything is not red, it's an icy blue-

_Chamma chamma re chamma chamma_

_Chamma chamma baaje re meri paejaniyaan_

_Re chamma chamma baaje re meri paejaniyaan_

_Tere paas aaun teri, saanson mein samaun..._

Piangi's voice was gone, and replaced by...OH GOD NO. He has already killed Piangi! How could I have loved him! HE KILLED ZIDLER! NOOOOO! Meg looks at me, confused, and I facepalm and whisper-

_Chamma chamma re chamma chamma_

_Chamma chamma baaje re meri paejaniyaan re_

_Chamma chamma baaje re meri paejaniyaan_

_(chamma chamma)_

_Baaje re meri paejaniyaan..._

_Re meri paejaniyaan (eh, chamma chamma)_

Meg stares at me like Christine and Raoul have been doing recently. "What are you doing?" she asks. I shrug and keep going as she and the other actors gather in the wings to see what is going on-

_(Eh, chamma chamma)_

_(Chamma chamma baaje re meri chamma)_

_Oh, yeah yeah... oh uo uo..._

_(Baaje re meri paejaniyaan)_

_(Baaje re meri paejaniyaan)_

_Tere paas aaun teri _

_Saanson mein samaun teri_

_Tere paas aaun teri_

_Saanson mein samaun raja!_

I have got to get out of here! I cannot watch! Erik is going to be happy, confessing his love for Christine. I swear under my breath and dance off to my dressing room, making sure nobody sees me. I run into a stage hand, but before he can say anything, I punch him between the eyes, knocking him out.

_Oooh...oooh...oooh...oooh...oooh_

_Kiss...hand_

_Diamonds...best friend!_

_Kiss...grand_

_Diamonds...best friend!_

_Men...cold, girls...old!_

_And we all lose our charms in the end!_

_Ooooooooh!_

I lock my door, take off my costume, let down my hair, and put on my black dressing gown and high heels. If I burn to death in here, I am not going to die wearing a costume from Erik's _thing_ he calls an opera. I wipe the powder off my face, my scar now visible to my world. Far down the hall, I hear people screaming and the chandelier falling. I lean back in my chair and put my feet up on my vanity.

_Diamonds are a...!_

_Diamonds are a...!_

_Diamonds are a...!_

_Diamonds are a...!_

_Diamonds are a...!_

_Diamonds are a...!_

_Diamonds are...a..._

I sigh and close my eyes, visions of Erik and Christine taunting me, as I put my head to the vanity mirror. I scowl, and then the passion fades. "...girl's...best...friend...DAMMIT ERIK!" I cry. I grab my hairbrush, stand in front of the full-length mirror, and start combing my hair as screams still echo down the halls, along with the smell of burning wood entering my lungs. I hit a tangle, mess with it for a few minutes, and then search for my knife. "Don't, Anya. You have such nice hair," a horridly familiar voice says from the mirror. I turn, and see him in the mirror, masked, dressed in his normal clothes. "GET OUT." I snarl. "Anya, please. I do not want to hurt you or see you get hurt, ever!" Tears form in my eyes. "Pity comes too late! Look at me, see my fate! Witness my own DEATH...before your eyes." I grab my pistol out of the drawer and hold it to my skull. "Anya, please, no!" I sneer. "I should have never been in this! And now I shall depart gladly!" "Anya, I love you! I always have and I always will!"

Pause. I stare at him in the mirror. His eyes are filled with promises and love-glass promises, glass love! He is full of lies! "SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP! LEAVE! DIE!" And I throw the pistol at the mirror, shattering all of it, glass flying, diamonds cutting my face.

I break down sobbing among the shattered glass. What is wrong with me? He could have had me, I think as I lie down with the smell of smoke in the room, but oh no. I was his friend! What good are friends now? Why care? What is wrong with him? Why cannot he just die? Hopefully, since the story is almost done, I will be able to get out of here soon. He would still be alive though, and leave the ring and rose on Christine's grave. What will he be doing for those years? I stare into the mirror frame and sing-

_Every time I lie awake_

_After every hit I take_

_Every feeling that I get_

_But I haven't missed you yet_

_Every night I'm kept awake_

_By every silent scream you have me make_

_All the feelings that I get_

_But I still don't miss you yet_

Would I miss him if I left? What would happen to him? The answer...I would miss him. I would miss him like crazy. I wanted him to be happy, and I could give that to him! I can see past his face! But he can't see that! I hate him! So much!

_Only when I stop to think about it..._

_I hate everything about you!_

_Why did I love you?_

_I hate everything about you!_

_Why did I love you?_

I was in love with Erik cockily, so high! It was...nice. Horridly, disgustingly, nice. But that is the past. I get up and start walking towards the mirror frame, through the broken glass around me. The way I hit them makes them look like they are lining the way for me, showing me where I should go.

_Every time I lie awake_

_After every hit I take_

_Every feeling that I get_

_But I haven't missed you yet_

_Only when I stop to think about it..._

_I hate everything about you!_

_Why did I love you?_

_I hate everything about you!_

_Why did I love you?_

I really do not give a damn anymore. Maybe...that must be it. I tried. I did everything, but he still left me behind for someone who does not, and never will, love him back. Why am I still after him? Simple. I do not want his love. I do not need it, and I refuse to take it.

_Only when I stop to think about you,_

_I know_

_Only when you stop to think about me,_

_Do you know?_

I pause, look at the pistol in front of me, and then put it cautiously into my dressing gown. The fading green light flares up once more, and I nod at it venomously. _Lead me where you shall. _It flickers at my locked door, and I understand what it is telling me. Hell, what's wrong with going to see Erik one last time?

_I hate everything about you_

_Why did I love you?_

_You now hate everything about me_

_But why didn't you love me?_

_You hate_

_I hate_

_You hate_

_I love you..._

_NO!_

_I hate everything about you!_

_Why did I love you?_

I have got to do this. Erik is unstoppable by anyone at this point but me. Only I can stop him. I grab my lasso, shove the knife Erik gave me with the gun, and sprint out of my room into the smoke. I realize nonchalantly, as I hold my breath and dash into my passageway, there is only one way to stop him. I shall take no prisoners, and at the end of the night, I will emerge the unstoppable one. I must destroy this nightmare at its source. In other words?

"Come what may," I sing in a cold voice as I run at top speed, "Oh come what may, today is Erik Destler's dying day!"

**A/N: If you guys want to see the outfit Anya is wearing for this scene, watch the Your Song video for Moulin Rouge. Do you guys think that she can carry out with her crazy plan? And if she can, do you think she actually will come to her senses? Discuss. Thanks for reading, as always!**


	16. Final Lair-Anya's Tango

**A/N: Well, here's chapter 16. Note: This chapter was originally about twice as long, but I cut it in half and will post the next chapter on Christmas Day. Why? I'm cruel. Anyways, Final Lair and Cell Block Tango-I turned the 'Six' segment into one for Anya-aren't mine. R+R!**

**ANYA POV **

Run, run, and do not stop for anything or anyone. The smoke clears away for me as I run down to my victim's lair. I am armed and dangerous, and nothing can get in my way. And my green orb flies in front of me, although now it is not a dream. I finally realize where it has been leading me-when I was flying, when I was on that boat-to this moment, when I am finally freed.

"Order your fine horses now! Raise up your hand to the level of your eyes! Nothing can save you now, except perhaps Christine!" If I could run any faster, I would be flying by now. "Start a new life with me!" _Not gonna happen, seeing as I am gonna end it! _"Buy his freedom with your love! Refuse me and you send your lover to his death! This is the choice!" I reach my destination and stop running. My target, Christine, and Raoul do not notice me. "THIS IS THE POINT OF NO RETURN!"

I close my eyes and lean against the stonewall casually. Then I whistle_-_two high notes and a rise before the 3rd one. Everyone's heads snap in my direction. "Anya," Raoul gasps as Christine blurts, "What are you doing here?" My target just stares at me. I smirk, simpering. "Mmm-hmm-hmm." I casually start walking towards him, taking my damn _sweet _time to savor the moment. When I'm in front of him, I reach one hand behind his head and slowly put the other on my gun. "I…" I smile sweetly before yanking on his hair. "I AM GOING TO TAKE YOU TO A DEEP, DARK PLACE, AND I AM GOING TO HAVE FUN!" Christine gasps as I whip out the gun and hold it to his head.

My victim looks at me in shock as I continue, this time in a whisper, "I am gonna bring the whole f***ing diseased, corrupt opera house down on your head. It's gonna be biblical." Raoul is actually grinning away at me from where he's tied up. Christine just looks horrified. _He _actually looks scared crapless. I sigh impatiently. "Anya…why?" Tears cloud his eyes as I feel my own harden. "WHY?" I scream in shock. "You know what I am talking about, you deformed bacon-faced monster!" His eyes harden, and I catch his hand that he intended to choke Raoul with as I yell over to Christine, "Take him and go!" When she hesitates, I point the pistol momentarily at her and she springs into action.

Now, my victim may be doing very well in the art of strangling and swordplay, but he sucks EGGS in unarmed combat. He's not even trying to hit me-he is just trying to dodge the hits I land on him. Over at the gate, Christine is having trouble with the ropes as she and Raoul watch our fight in shock-from her end-and complete, utter joy that I am kicking my victim's butt from Raoul's point of view. I grab my knife as I punch my target in the chest-"Christine, CATCH!" and throw the knife (sheathed) at her. She catches, thankfully, and gets to work on the rope. "Look, you little son of a b***h," I snarl, "stop trying to dodge me and HIT me! A f***ing OPERA is less boring than this!" He brings his hand and attempts to punch me in the face, but I twist and he hits my arm instead.

I hear the sound of Raoul getting out of the ropes and see he and Christine run for the gondola. HE and I untangle and start circling each other as my target tries to get to the gondola to stop my friends. "I met the Opera Ghost when I first came to Paris, and we hit it off right away. So we became pretty close friends. I'd stay upstairs, I'd come down here…we'd goof off for a bit." I tap my toe twice against the bottom of the lake sharp and clear. "And then I found out. Beauty underneath, he told me. Beauty underneath, oh please! Not only was he a deformed monster, oh no."

Raoul runs to the lever, pushes it to make the gate go up, and then runs back, dodging _his _attempts to stop him. I continue to pummel him, and he lands a few decent blows. "He's a _gorestnoye sobytiye_ too. So on one not-so-special night, I come down from upstairs, to have fun, as usual. You know, some men just can't hold their breath!" I stop to catch my own breath, but just as he reaches for Raoul and Christine screams, I grab my lasso, tackle him, and get it around his neck. He claws at it feebly as I sing and tug it-

_He has it coming! He has it coming!_

_He's had it coming all along!_

_I'm going to kill him (going to kill him) and when I kill him!_

_How can you tell me that I am wrong? _

Christine looks at _him _tearfully. "You had Anya lose her mind blindly." "Don't deny it," Raoul adds. I yank on the rope, making my victim gag. "How ironic," I muss. "Death by your own student in an art that you fabricated out of your own twisted-" I twirl the rope delicately around my hand "-mind." The green light shines in his eyes as he attempts to say something. I smirk playfully, run the hand with the pistol over his face slowly and feel him quiver. "Anya, hurry up and kill him!" Raoul yells. "Oh, no, Raoul. I have been waiting for this for just about for-ever." I reply. _What are you doing? _My head snaps behind me to see the source of the four voices. _Satine, Gatsby, Anna, Levin._

_I thought we taught you better than this, _Levin laments. I roll my eyes. "Shut up, Constantine Levin. You got a happy ending, don't preach." "Anya, who are you talking to?" I wave my hand with the gun dismissively in Christine's general direction. _You love him, Anya, why do you do this? _I stomp my foot at Satine's utter stupidity. "You know well why! And I do not!" _Okay, let's go with that,__ but to KILL him? That's a bit much, _Anna responds. I roll my eyes. Every one of them died for the con that they call love, except for Levin, but he died a bit inside because of that horrid piece of crap.

**3RD PERSON POV**

"It is to not end up like all of you! Dead! And not a word out of you, Levin. You died inside when Kitty turned you down, do not lie to me." _True, I did, but I got over it and tried again. It took 3 times, but in the end it worked. You can't give up just once. _"Anya, nobody is there!" Raoul yelled, but Anya was far away now, she heard him, but heard nothing. "Will you all shut up! You are not real," Anya gestured at her green beacon "and neither is this thing!" Smiles all broke out on the faces of Anya's visions. _That's all it took, old sport. And the light, well, we can say it stood for my one dream. Now, _the green light was in Gatsby's outstretched palm, _WAKE UP AND SEE! _He squeezed it tightly, causing it to glow like the sun.

Erik did not understand what was going on (mostly the fact that Anya was about to shoot/Punjab him at the same time and suddenly was talking to herself), and neither did Christine and Raoul, but they saw something odd was happening to Anya. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and her teeth were clenched, as if a bright light was shining in her face. And it was, as sights ran past her eyes-everything that had happened since she had dove into the depths of her own mind.

Then, she saw it.

What Anya had been chasing to get a glimpse of since the day she arrived.

Inside her bright green orb.

She saw the emerald eyes staring back at her, and Anya knew, finally, what that light was for.

_The light stood for my one dream._

It had served its purpose, and now it was the one that had to die.

To her friends, Anya's eyes remained closed, as she took the pistol off of the Phantom's head and fired ahead of her at nothing. To her, however, the green orb exploded into millions of sparkling diamonds, shattering everywhere, slipping through her, and then Anya's own diamond eyes shot open, for real.

She turned; saw Erik before her, with her rope around his neck and the imprint that the pistol muzzle had made on the scarred side of his forehead. _No…no…what have I done! _Anya immediately dropped the rope and proceeded to slam herself on the head with her pistol in complete and utter shame, before quickly shoving it back where it had been before as everything went black.

Christine, Raoul, and Erik (now with Anya's rope in his hand) simply stared at the unconscious Anya, each lost in their own thoughts before they heard the voices chant-"Track down this murderer, he must be found!" Erik was brought back to reality and stomped up to his bedroom. "Take her-" he gestured in Anya's general direction- "Forget me! Forget all of this! Leave me alone! Forget all you've seen! Go now, don't let them find you! Take the boat...swear to me...never tell the secret you know of the Angel in Hell. GO! GO NOW AND LEAVE ME!" Erik quickly exited to his bedroom.

Raoul and Christine just looked at eachother, then they stared at Anya. "What. Just. Happened?" Raoul asked quietly. Christine remembered Anya's words from before-_It depends on which love you're talking about__. _And then her response-_So that is a yes? _which was followed by a casual _Maybe__. _She felt herself go pale as she thought about how Anya had refused to kill the Phantom and instead fired ahead of her at nothing. "Don't take her!" she ordered Raoul as she saw him start to pick up Anya. "Wha-why not?" Christine looked at the direction the Phantom had gone. "It's...it's not what she wants. It's a long story," she said as she started climbing the small set of steps to the Phantom's room, "I'll explain it later."

"Masquerade...paper faces on parade...masquerade...hide your face, so the world will never find you." Erik turned to see Christine. "How is..._my_...Anya?" That was all the proof Christine required. She walked up to him and pressed the ring into his hand. "Take care of her," she said in a warning tone. "I _said," _Erik jerked his face away "_to take her!" _"She doesn't want to go." Erik slowly turned around. "She is awake?" "No...and don't question it," Christine replied, trying her best to sound like the suave, no-nonsense Anya she used to know.

Erik sat there in front of his monkey for a while longer, until he heard Christine and Raoul's voices fade into the distance. He ran suddenly out of his room, grabbed a candelabra and proceeded to smash all the mirrors, cursing his stupidity. Erik went back, picked up his cape, looked at Anya remorsefully, walked over and picked her up, and vanished into the dark crevice behind one of the mirrors.

**A/N: The original line from _Law Abiding Citizen _is "I'm gonna bring the whole f***in' diseased, corrupt temple down on your head. It's gonna be biblical." The line "I AM GOING TO TAKE YOU TO A DEEP DARK PLACE AND I AM GONNA HAVE FUN" is from _Miller's Place. _Anyway, I have a lot of revisions to do on the next chapter, so you'll get a nice present on Christmas Day. Oh great...now that I realize it, this is drawing to a close way faster than I want! Oh well...I hope you liked this, and please review! **


	17. Mr Atomic Bomb-Skyfall

**A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY! I hope you all had a great one, I sure did! Anyways, as promised, Chapter 17. I am gonna warn you though-my present to you all is a giant furball of feels. Don't say I didn't warn you. I do not own Miss Atomic Bomb or Skyfall. Enjoy.**

**ANYA POV**_  
_

My head is pounding as I stretch out and something falls off of me. "Huh-what?" On closer examination, it's a cape. A black cape, recently repaired. My hair is stringy and damp, but other than that I'm pretty much dry. The memories flow-plotting to _kill _Erik, almost succeeding, being stopped by fragments of my deranged mind, destroying my beacon, and then hitting myself on the head. Well, _that _was certainly a stupid choice.

Looking around, all I can see is that I'm alone in a dark room. _Am I dead? _No, I still feel the pistol gartered to my left leg, where I shoved it while staring at my friends as everything went black. _So then where am I?_ A small shaft of light up ahead behind a dark curtain catches my attention. I stand up, sway a bit, put the cape around me like a blanket, and walk towards it.

Reaching my destination, I see it leads into.._.oh joy. _Erik's lair, which looks pretty much like it did when I knocked myself out, minus the fact that it's kinda trashed. I step out and look back. It appears I was hidden in a dark crevice of some sort, in what was once a mirror.

"Erik!" I call, my voice ringing out across the lake. No response. _Odd...hmm..._I shift my eyes from side to side, and then proceed to run throughout his lair, calling his name in every room I set foot in. I exit his bedroom and stumble back down between the water and the organ in shock. The truth grounds itself in my mind.

_He is not here. _

I look around frantically. When I need it, where is my faithful leader? Where is it now? Where is my own little lighthouse, a beacon against the storm, to tell me where to go? _You destroyed it. It was eating you alive. _"No," I groan dismally. Then, I get an idea.

_You were standing there in the rafters_

_Falling back on forever_

_I wonder what you'll come to be_

_I was new in your opera house, the actress with the gray eyes_

_I never was a quitter, oblivious to your lies_

_When I look back on this candlelight_

_The velvet seats, the red mill in my sight_

_I feel the heat, my heart was not right_

I take my iPhone out of my pocket and set the timer for 16 minutes, sighing "No, no!". If I can't fire the 7 bullets in my pistol and have something happen within that time frame, I will depart this world. I whip the pistol out and aim at the wall.

_Mr. Atomic Bomb_

_We made out once, I didn't know I was conned_

_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

_Singing on the roof underneath the moonlight_

_You believed in the music of the night_

_And for a second there, I'd won_

_Yeah, I was naive and young_

"NO!"

_Bang!_

I face one of his statues.

_Born out of the night, well you've got a foolish heart_

_So I took your place but the fall from grace was the hardest part_

_It feels like a dagger buried deep in your back_

_You run for cover, but can't escape the second attack_

_Your soul was innocent, I kissed you and painted it black_

_You should've seen your bacon face, burning for love_

_Holding on for your life_

_All that I wanted was a little kiss_

_A little tenderness and truth, I didn't ask for much, no_

_Talk about being in the wrong place, in the wrong time_

"NO!"

_Bang!_

_The dust cloud has settled, and gray eyes are clear_

_But in my dreams of impact I still hear_

_Mr. Atomic Bomb, I'm standing here_

_Sweat on my skin_

_And this love I've cradled is wearing thin_

_But I'm standing here and you're too late_

_Your shock-wave whisper has sealed your fate_

And it goes on like this, 4 more times, me screaming in anguish at how horribly this had all turned out, firing bullets at invisible opponents. Now there is only one bullet left. The seventh bullet. My last little baby. I turn, look straight at the gate, and lock the pistol. My hand is steady. There is no recoil for me to deal with. My eyes narrow.

_It feels just like a dagger buried deep in your back (It's so cruel)_  
_You run for cover but you can't escape the second attack (and you turn your back, you're so)_  
_Your soul was innocent, I kissed you and I painted it black (on a losing game)_  
_You should have seen your bacon face, burning for love,_  
_(Mr. Atomic Bomb) _

_Holding on for your life_  
_But you can't survive (All that I wanted was a little kiss)_  
_When you want it all (A little tenderness and truth, I didn't ask for much)_  
_There's another side (Talk about being in the wrong place in the wrong time)_

**_"_****_NO!"_**

_ Bang! _

However, a sound follows the bang.

_A ricochet. _

I scream in agony and hit the floor, holding my stomach, dropping the pistol. It hurts, it hurts so! Everything streams through my brain-my first vision of the floors scarlet red, followed by the stomach pains, and then everything sometimes going in and out of focus. It all leads to this moment. I look at my iPhone-15 minutes and counting down.

_It takes 15 minutes to die from a shot to the stomach. _

I wail horribly and stomp my foot. This is how I, Anya Oyen, shall die-sad, alone, heartbroken, and screaming my head off in pain. My eyes, however, lock on Erik's desk, where his pen and papers are lying around. I realize what I must do, if he ever comes back.

**4.5 MINUTES LATER**

I finish and lie down in Hell itself. Suddenly, tears cloud my vision. I will never see my friends again. I will never perform in _Chicago. _And, I can never apologize to Erik. Or even simply tell him how I feel...while sober, at least.

_This is the end  
Hold your breath and count to ten  
Feel the earth move and then  
Hear my heart burst again_

_For this is the end_  
_I've drowned and dreamt this moment_  
_So overdue I owe them_  
_Swept away, I'm stolen_

Sobs rack my pain-consumed body. I refuse to look at the ground. It hurts, but the pain in my stomach can never rival what I'm feeling. Suddenly, a flash catches my eye. Christine left the knife. I pick it up and begin to carve one final word into stone.

_Let the sky fall  
When it crumbles  
We will stand tall  
Face it all together_

_Let the sky fall_  
_When it crumbles_  
_We will stand tall_  
_Face it all together_  
_At skyfall_  
_At skyfall_

I can barely believe it. I look into the water, for I cannot look at the other liquid. And I see-me, in my red and white dress, singing in the catacombs here with Erik. Here, me hugging him for the first time. And there, at the organ, singing Your Song. And there, running in the street in denial. I slowly put down the knife, the job done.

_Skyfall is where we start_  
_A thousand miles and poles apart_  
_Where worlds collide and days are dark_  
_You may have my number, you can take my name_  
_But you'll never have my heart_

_Let the sky fall (let the sky fall)_  
_When it crumbles (when it crumbles)_  
_We will stand tall (we will stand tall)_  
_Face it all together at skyfall_

Now it's laughing with Erik while exchanging Carlotta's throat spray. Our...our first kiss, up there on the roof. Then us goofing around during punjab lessons. Followed by a shot of us shaving Carlotta's poodle together while laughing our heads off. These are memories that I would never give up for anything that can be created.

I sigh and look at my timer. 8 minutes. I swallow hard and think about everything else as I grab my stomach yet again. My memories growing up in Pondicherry, in Russia, back in Pondicherry, all my travels, and then singing my heart out as Satine. Falling asleep backstage before the show was to start. I am to repeat that action again, I think bittersweetly. Falling asleep behind the scenes before the wonder could ever begin.

**ERIK POV**

Anya is not here! I stare at where I put her down with my cape in shock. Had she woken up and...a smile suddenly lights across my face and I quickly run and lift up the curtain. Is she hiding? I then hear my music box playing _Masquerade, _faintly, and then Anya's voice, weaker than I've ever heard it.

"Masquerade...paper faces on parade...masquerade..." I round a corner and stare in shock. Anya is lying on the floor, the back of her head to me, her arm flopped over her head, and...shock turns to horror as I see the floor around her is _RED! _"...you can...fool any...friend...who ever...knew...you..." "ANYA!" I scream, and in an instant am at her side.

Her gray eyes stare up at me in shock as I pull her up to me. She sings again, and I try my hardest to hold on, not only to her, but her voice. "Where you go, I go...what you see, I see...I know I'll never be here, without the security...of your loving arms...to keep me from harm..." Anya takes my hand and smiles at me sadly. "Put your hand in my hand and we'll stand...let the skyfall...we will stand tall...at..._sky...FALL!" _I notice in horror her pistol, which had been held at my head a mere hour ago, is now lying a few feet away.

"I'm sorry..." "I'M SORRY!" We say at the same time, but she stops and I continue. "I'm sorry I let you go! I'm sorry I took your mind! I'm sorry th-that-" I cover my face in shame with my free hand as I start to cry. "-THAT I LEFT YOU TO-TO-TO-" Anya puts a finger to my lips, smiling in what I can tell is horrible pain. "Shhh. Erik, I...I was able to do everything. Everything I've ever wanted. Here, in Paris, singing at y-your opera house, m-meeting everyone, b-b-being f-friends with you...wh-what more could I want?" "NO! THAT'S NOT RIGHT! WE'VE-WE'VE JUST STARTED! WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE HAPPY! _LIKE YOU SAID!" _"E-Erik, I f-found it. I found...my...dream..." "I DON'T WANT THIS!" I scream. "Thank you..." Anya says softly. She puts both arms around my neck and gently gives me a final kiss, and for once, I respond and do not feel bad when she lets go. "The chain," she says suddenly. I look at her oddly. "The diamond! Do you have it?" I reach into my pocket and quickly hand it to her. She puts it around her neck and hugs me again.

"Anya, stay with me, stay with me!" I yell as her eyes start to close. "You're...you're glowing...you keep glowing...and then stop...like a lightbulb...like...my green light..." Anya giggles, delirious as her arms start to slide off. "STAY WITH ME, ANYA!" I yell and pull her up so her chin is on my shoulder. "St-stay w-with me..." I whisper. A flash of light catches my eyes. Her 'iPhone'. I notice on horror that on it is a clock. My face goes pale as I realize it is counting down..._Anya's life_. She has...about...2 minutes. "Anya, talk to me, talk to me!" I cry. I feel her stirring against me and she pulls away so her arms are around my neck again and she can see me, eye-to-eye. "Erik...where are we? Is that train...for me?" My eyes widen in shock and I tighten my grip on her as I feel her breathing getting slower.

"Y-yes, Anya...we're waiting...for the train..." "It's...it's so dark. Why are there no lights? Is it midnight?" _A minute and a half. _"Yes, Anya. It's nighttime." "Erik?" "What?" I tighten my grip and stare into her eyes. "I...I lied. _Ya lyublyu tebya..._m-m-means 'I love you.'" My eyes widen. _I really let her slip through my fingers, didn't I. _Anya hugs me and mutters, _"Ya lyublyu tebya..._Erik..." I gasp, choked, and reply, _"Ya lyublyu tebya..._too, An-Anya!" Her eyes suddenly widen and she pushes off me to look at me squarely. "It's come...it's come...it's here..." A beautiful, weak smile lights up her features. "It's come...for me...stay here..." "What?!" I hiss in disbelief. I think of all the miracles Anya has somehow worked. She accepted me, she was friends with me, and by some accident or the grace of God, she loves me. And then I see. _7 seconds. _"No. No, Anya, stop it! One more miracle, for me, Anya, _please!" _I wail. _"Tunku, Erik. Spokoynoy nochi..." _The weak smile remains as Anya wraps her arms around me, squeezes once, and then lets out a sigh.

Then I realize.

How cold her chin is against my shoulder.

I pull her from me quickly and stare in horror. Her head rolls over, paler than I've ever seen her. "Anya...Anya..." Her eyes-diamond eyes-are dull. Red mouth half-open, and her voice floats in my mind-_Vengeance is mine! I will repay! _Oh, she has gotten her revenge on me, alright.

And what I have been denying for the past 2 minutes comes around and hits me.

Anya Oyen is no more.

**_"ANYA!"_** I scream, pulling her to me again. "You taught me to love! How to look at this world and say, 'I AM GLAD I AM ALIVE!' And now...I CAN'T THANK YOU! I CAN NEVER THANK YOU ENOUGH! YOU-YOU-YOU SAID YOU WOULD ALWAYS BE HERE! YOU SAID YOU'D ALWAYS BE HERE FOR ME! _ALWAYS AND FOREVER!" _I hold her as I cry and ramble on frantically. "I WON'T WISH FOR ANYTHING ELSE! NOT FOR FRIENDS, NOT FOR A HANDSOME FACE! I JUST WANT YOU WITH ME! _LIKE! YOU! PROMISED!" _

_Meow. _I rip my head from screaming at the sky and look down. _Ayesha. _My cat nudges forward a piece of paper. Holding Anya steady with one hand, I pick it up, unfold it, and read-

_Erik~_

_I don't know if you're reading this, or if you're even still in Paris. Anyway, if you are, I want to say several things._

_I'm sorry for not being good enough. I'm sorry that I'm-well, for whatever reason you rejected me for. I'm sorry for being so cocky and so forward. I'm sorry that I popped up here in 1872 and screwed up your life and your story. I'm sorry for existing. But, as I lie here screaming my head off in pain, there is one thing that I don't regret._

_I am not, and never will be, sorry for ever loving you._

_Never, ever, ever try to hurt or kill yourself. You got it? If you do, I swear to all things holy that I will find some way to bring you back to life, and then personally torture you for 7 years with psychological warfare.__ Understood? Good._

_And, I want you to do one more thing for me. My last little wish-I want you to move on. Never forget me. Have a corner of your heart for your favorite American girl. Love me all you want, because now you know it's reciprocated. But I am now in the past. Just remember me from time to time, and remember that I happen to give a damn about you. As of now, I want you to go out and LIVE. Do whatever you wanted to do. Nothing is standing in your way, except you._

_~Anya _

_P.S. I love you. Always and forever._

I stare at the note and reread it twice. "How can you expect me to do this?" I ask Anya. "You expect me to throw away what I want in just a second? I came so close...and now I can't have it." Her eyes are still dull. I am not going to get an answer. I sigh and close Anya's eyes. A sigh seems to echo around the cavern, and I look around mechanically before my eyes rest again on Anya. With her eyes closed, a part of me registers that moment when I drew her asleep on the night she was drunk. So calm, so at peace. _Or__ angels to die._

A bright flash of white before my eyes appears suddenly and I jump back, releasing Anya in the process. Ayesha hisses and jumps back with me. When the light fades, I stare in horror at the spot where she was, before crawling rapidly back, clutching the ground in horror.

EVEN HER BLOOD IS GONE!

_You only live twice..._I look around wildly. _Or so it seems...one life for yourself...and one for your dreams..._She said she fell asleep backstage of her play and woke up here. _This was her second life...the one for her dreams. _She's home now...back in her time...back to a life where I don't exist. _And love is a stranger...who'll beckon you on...don't think of the danger..._I hang my head. I thought of the danger so now..._Or the stranger is gone!_

I close my eyes, feel Ayesha rub against my leg, and tilt my head to the ceiling. Inhale, exhale, once, twice, thrice. I open my eyes, and a word catches my eye, carved into the floor right where Anya had laid her head.

_Cured._

I stand up unsteadily. I remember her when we first met-firey, defiant, suave, full of love and life. I tilt my head up again and let some more tears flow down my face as a sad smile appears. "As you wish, Anya," I whisper. I always thought of how I could ever repay her kindness. She has offered a way. And it is going to be a long, hard journey to accomplish her request. But for Anya Oyen? I will try.

**A/N: Awwwwww!...yes, I know. I am quite the cruel Azulixa. *hides in corner of shame with tissue box*Don't worry guys...this is not the end :P. You know what, since you've all been such faithful, awesome readers, after the next chapter (which will be posted tomorrow) I will give you all a little one-shot, just for you. I've put up a poll on my page for a sequel or no. Do your voting! Thank you all so much for reading, as always, and please tell me what you think.**


	18. Die Another Day-Learn To Be Lonely

**A/N: Whoa! Writing this went by so fast. I can't believe you guys voted so much! Anyway, this is the final chapter of the storyline. Don't worry though, I will post that one-shot! My Happy Ending, Die Another Day, and Learn To Be Lonely are not mine. Enjoy!**

**ANYA POV**

A sharp, sudden, _wet _and cold sensation runs over me. My eyes shoot open as I realize I'm soaking wet! Is this how people are awakened in heaven? "Lookit her eyes! WOO!" _Sebastian's _voice hoots with laughter. I look up. Sure enough, I'm _backstage where I fell asleep with the cast of the Moulin Rouge play all around me! Laughing! _Wearing my skin-tight blue jeans and white shirt. "What? How did I get here?" I ask hurriedly, snatching the bucket out of Sebastian's hands and smacking him with it. Xander-a.k.a the Duke-looks at me oddly. "Anya, you were here for like, 2 hours and-" he checks his watch- "23 minutes exactly. Sleeping."

_You were all the things I thought I knew  
And I thought we could be_

_You were everything, everything that I wanted_  
_We were meant to be, supposed to be, but we lost it_  
_And all of the memories, so close to me, just fade away_  
_All this time I was pretending_  
_So much for my happy ending__  
_

I close my eyes and do the calculations in my head-2 hrs and 23 min=143 min. The length of _The Phantom of the Opera. _"Is something wrong?" Xander asks worriedly. I shake my head and smile shakily. "I'm okay, just in shock and tired." _T=Torn apart, I=Insecure, R=Really faking my smile, E=Extremely melancholy, D=Drowning in sadness. _I think I can hear and feel my heart get shattered.

_It's nice to know that you were there  
Thanks for telling that you cared  
And making me feel like I was the only one  
It's nice to know we had it all  
Thanks for crying as I fall  
And letting me know my dream was done_

"Anya, get in your costume! Sebastian, you're on in 5!" Piper-a.k.a Nini-yells from across the room. "Oh-oh right!" I say hurriedly, standing up and running for my dressing room, slapping Sebastian in the face once.

_I think I'll find another way  
There's so much more to know  
I guess I'll die another day  
It's not my time to go_

_For every sin, I'll have to pay_  
_I've come to work, I've come to play_  
_I think I'll find another way_  
_It's not my time to go_

_I guess, die another day_  
_I guess I'll die another day_

Yanking off my wet jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers, the shock of the cold is fading but the one of the epiphany is not. Why am I not dead? I got shot! In the stomach! AND THE TRAIN RAN OVER ME! My blood was on his hands! And there's my iPhone! And lipstick and mascara! On my vanity! _Be careful what you wish for, _my mind whispers, and I remember thinking that I wanted to die to come back here. I growl and smack myself on the head as I put on my black fishnet stockings for my Black Diamonds costume. "Now you tell me!" I snarl to myself. Something catches my eye, and I pause while hopping around trying to get into the dress in horror and awe.

I have a red circular scar on my stomach, right where I've been feeling all those pains, right where I was shot. I smile sadly, and then gasp.

The gold chain. It's around my neck, still glinting, right with the diamond.

I wipe a tear from my face, then start putting on my costume and sing-

_Child of the wilderness_

_Born into emptiness_

_Learn to be lonely_

_Learn to find your way in darkness_

Something tells me that Erik will be okay. He's gonna get through this. I can tell he took my words to heart, even though he didn't want to.

_Who will be there for you_

_Comfort and care for you_

_Learn to be lonely_

_Learn to be your one companion..._

As I adjust my hair and take out my lipstick, I stop singing and touch my mouth. Memories flash by-meeting him, smacking him with a snowball on the roof and then being chased around, my death. I smile sadly, and then apply the lipstick without thinking. Disguising what I went through.

_Never dreamed out in the world_

_There are arms to hold you_

_You've always known your heart was on its own..._

_So laugh in your loneliness_

_Child of the wilderness_

_Learn to be lonely_

_Learn how to love life that is lived alone_

I put on my hat and then pause, my hand holding the gold chain, ready to take it off for the silver necklace I need. Suddenly, a strong, beautiful feeling enters me as I exhale, once, twice. I'm at peace again, like I'm glowing! I feel like...never before. I giggle a moment, and then keep it on, putting on the silver necklace with it. That's what Erik was-a single, thin, gold chain that stood out among the silver but was beautiful anyway, with a single diamond in the center. I smile sadly, stand up, adjust my hat and heavy dress, and head to the rafters for my entrance.

_Learn to be lonely_

_Life can be lived...life can be loved alone..._

I sit down in the swing, wait for my cue, and then drop the glitter. As I look up, I feel eyes on me, like Erik's there. _He's there, the Phantom of the Opera! Inside my mind! _I smirk playfully as the swing lowers. I'm always one for irony, but this is just way too funny.

_"The French...are glad to die...for love..." _

**A/N: FINALLY! IT'S DONE! IT IS FINISHED! Anyway, my poll closes on December 29th. So do your voting, people! I put it up on my profile, now go and tell me if I should continue the story.  
Thank you all for your reviews, faves, and follows! They mean a lot to me.  
****A huge shoutout to my friend TammerTime. Dude. You helped me through this story, you put up with my constant jokes and fangirling, you actually you made sure what I was writing wasn't extremely cheesy (just a little mozerella on top), AND you got some of the references I put in here. Thanks bro. Thank you so much. I owe you, A LOT. Your writing rocks, I hope you start it up again!  
I'll probably have that one-shot up for you guys either later today or tomorrow. Anyway, tell me what you think about my ending. Don't worry though...you'll see my name again soon enough...**


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